Austria's far-right mull Haider return

Haider has not publicly stated his intentions

Austria's far-right figurehead leader, Joerg Haider, could be on the brink of returning to formal leadership of his Freedom Party.

The party's executive committee was meeting in Linz on Wednesday to decide who to nominate for the vacant post of party leader.

Austrian Vice-Chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer resigned from the post on Sunday, triggering the collapse of Austria's ruling coalition and forcing early elections.

There is no realistic alternative to Haider

Karl Schweitzer
General Secretary

Mr Haider stepped down as leader in Ms Riess-Passer's favour in 2000, but many analysts believe he has continued to lead the party behind the scenes.

The party has been split in a bitter internal feud which has pitted Mr Haider against Ms Riess-Passer.

The row centred on whether to delay tax cuts which the party had previously promised. Ms Riess-Passer had fallen into line with a government decision to delay the cuts because of the summer floods, but Mr Haider demanded that the cuts should go ahead as promised.

'No alternative'

The executive committee meeting on Wednesday was expected to put forward its nomination for leader, who would then be formally voted into office at a party conference on 21 September.

Mr Haider arrived at the meeting looking relaxed and confident, but he refused to say whether he would be seeking to take over the leadership, reported the BBC's Bethany Bell.

Riess-Passer is now backing Haider for leader

Many prominent party figures attending the meeting have expressed their support for Mr Haider's return.

"There is no realistic alternative to Haider," said party general secretary Karl Schweitzer.

Ms Riess-Passer has also expressed backing for Mr Haider as leader.

Analysts believe that the current power struggle was triggered by Mr Haider's desire to take over the reigns of his party once more.

His decision to stand down was seen as an attempt to give the party a more acceptable face, after it had entered into coalition government with the Austrian People's Party.

Mr Haider's presence as party leader had provoked a storm of international protest.

The Freedom Party under Haider will once again be... a platform for protest voters

Fritz Plasser
Political analyst

He had made a number of comments seen as xenophobic and anti-Semitic.

Mr Haider has a number of strong policy disagreements with the government of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, including opposition to European Union expansion and to Austria's plans to buy Eurofighter combat jets.

"The Freedom Party under Haider will once again be what it was in 1999 and earlier elections, a platform for protest voters," said Fritz Plasser of Austria's Centre for Political Research.

"It will be an all-around attack against everything, especially the polarising issue of the effects of EU expansion on Austria."

Austria's general election is expected to be held on 24 November, nearly a year earlier than its original date.