Austria's combative far-right leader Herbert Kickl

VIENNA — While negotiating with the conservatives to form a government, sharp-tongued Herbert Kickl was within reach of becoming contemporary Austria's first far-right chancellor.

But talks fell apart on Wednesday after Kickl's Freedom Party (FPOe) lay claims to key posts and proposed policies on the EU, migration and other issues the conservative People's Party (OeVP) found unacceptable.

"Together, we wanted to lead Austria back to the top of Europe. Unfortunately, the OeVP was not ready to make decisive compromises," Kickl said in a statement, while the OeVP blamed Kickl's "thirst for power and uncompromising attitude".

Wednesday's failure to form a government marks another dramatic twist for Kickl, a radical who took over a scandal-tainted FPOe in 2021 and revitalised it to top national polls for the first time ever in September.

While the FPOe at first failed to find partners to govern, the conservatives under a fresh leadership had agreed to coalition talks in January.

 'People's chancellor'

Before taking over the party, the 56-year-old Kickl, a marathon runner and climber, had made his career largely behind the scenes as its longtime ideologue.

As its leader, he has skillfully tapped into voter anxieties over the Covid pandemic, inflation and the Ukraine war, including criticising European Union sanctions against Moscow.

Kickl's bland, unassuming image contrasts with his virulent rhetoric.

He condemns critics and called President Alexander Van der Bellen, a former Greens leader, a "senile mummy".

He also frequently employs terms reminiscent of the troubled past of the party, founded by former Nazis in the 1950s.

Those include styling himself as the future "Volkskanzler" -- the people's chancellor -- as Adolf Hitler was called in the 1930s.

Tens of thousands have protested against the FPOe-led talks, amid concerns Kickl -- who has previously said "politics takes precedence over the law" -- would erode the rule of law as chancellor.

Kickl denies using Nazi references.

In a Facebook post at the weekend, he insisted "the rule of law, fundamental rights, freedom of opinion, free media, (and) the fight against anti-Semitism" were "a natural foundation of our political work".

But the far-right leader has never made a secret of his closeness to extremist groups, expressing his support for the Identitarian Movement as early as 2016.

That movement subscribes to the "great replacement" conspiracy narrative that claims there is a plot to replace Europe's "native" white population with non-white migrants.

Kickl has also espoused the far-right concept of "remigration" -- wanting to expel people of non-European ethnic backgrounds, including Austrian nationals, deemed to have failed to integrate.

"Supporting an anti-elite and xenophobic party has perhaps become socially acceptable" almost everywhere in the world, said Christian Rainer, the former chief editor of the weekly Profil.

But Kickl makes French far-right leader Marine Le Pen "look like Mother Teresa", he said.

Kickl has avoided debates and interviews, denouncing the media for their "lack of objectivity".

Instead he has relied on social media to spread his views.

 Secret service raid

His past time in government -- when the FPOe was a junior partner to the OeVP from 2017 to 2019 -- has included some controversies.

During his time as interior minister in 2018, the authorities raided the country's intelligence service, seriously damaging the service's reputation among its international partners.

In April last year, prosecutors launched a corruption investigation against him, amid allegations that he embezzled public money to pay for lucrative adverts in the media, in return for receiving favourable coverage.

In December, parliament approved a request by prosecutors to lift his immunity so he could be questioned for allegedly providing false testimony.

But voters have warmed to Kickl's tidy and trustworthy demeanour.

In contrast to his flamboyant predecessors Joerg Haider and Heinz-Christian Strache -- who stepped back after a spectacular graft scandal -- Kickl has maintained a low profile.

Born in Villach, the capital of the southern state of Carinthia, he studied philosophy, history, communication and political science in Vienna -- but left the courses before finishing -- and started working for the FPOe in 1995.