WORLD IN BRIEF : AUSTRIA : Government Falls; Rightist May Profit

Austria’s governing coalition fell apart, paving the way for December elections that could bring to power a right-wing populist who campaigns heavily on anti-foreigner sentiment. After six days of late-night negotiations and mudslinging over the 1996 budget, the conservative People’s Party of Vice Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel ended its partnership with the Social Democrats of Chancellor Franz Vranitzky. Joerg Haider, who gained international notoriety in 1991 by praising Nazi employment policies, stands to gain the most from the debacle. The two leading parties share a distaste for the telegenic politician who leads the right-wing Freedom Party.