Berlin, Jun 17 (AP) Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Monday that his conservative Austrian People's Party would remain in the current government coalition with its Green party junior partner even though his environment minister voted in a European Union vote in favour of the so-called Nature Restoration plan that Nehammer has opposed.

The vote by environment minister Leonore Gewessler of the Green party earlier on Monday came after months of domestic political debate and infuriated the senior partner in the coalition government — Nehammer's conservative Austrian People's Party — ahead of a national election set for September 29.

Also Read | Why is China Targeting #MeToo Activists?.

Moments before Nehammer's statement Monday, speculation had been growing in Austria about whether he would break up the government.

“The emotion would be there” for an end to the coalition, but "(I had) the responsibility, as federal chancellor, to ensure an orderly path” until the parliamentary elections, Nehammer told journalists Monday night, Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported.

Also Read | Saulos Chilima Funeral Convoy Accident: Five Killed After Vehicle Rams Into Mourners Taking Part in Ex-Malawian Vice President’s Funeral .

After her vote, Gewesseler wrote on X that “my conscience tells me unmistakably (that) when the healthy and happy life of future generations is at stake, courageous decisions are needed.”

Ahead of the vote, the chancellery said Nehammer informed the Belgian EU presidency that a vote in favor of the plan by Gewessler would be unlawful, the Austria Press Agency reported.

The Nature Restoration plan is part of the EU's European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world's most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues.

In the buildup to the EU elections that saw a shift to the right earlier this month, European farmers complained about the many environmental laws governing the way they work, arguing that the rules were harming their livelihoods and strangling them with red tape. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)