President Sebastian Kurz has announced his resignation following allegations of corruption

Austrian President Sebastian Kurz, suspected of corruption, announced his resignation on Saturday, October 9. “It would be irresponsible to slip into a multi-month mess or freeze”, He told reporters in Vienna, explaining the withdrawal “Stability” Of the country when denied “False accusations”. “I can shed a little light, I firmly believe it. I am a human being with emotions and mistakes ” Said the 35-year-old young leader.

“I want to give way to avoid confusion”, He also proposed the name of his foreign minister, Alexander Shalenberg, after him. Industry diplomat Shalenberg, 52, has the image of an impartial senior official, although he is close to the president’s conservative party, the ÖVP.

Between 2016 and 2018, the anti-corruption lawsuit could not accept Mr Kurz’s position after he was accused of using Wednesday. “Resources of the Ministry” Finance for “Fiscal Manipulation Polls Give Exclusively Non-Partisan Political Interest”.

Mr Kurz and nine suspects, as well as the ÖVP party and a press team, are under investigation in connection with the case. On Wednesday, searches took place, especially at the ÖVP headquarters and the Chancellery. In a statement, prosecutors said their inquiries were directly aimed at the celebrity president “Fraud, Corruption and Influence”.

Previous corruption scandal in 2019

With the exception of the ÖVP, all political parties, including the Greens, the government’s minority partners, have demanded the president’s resignation. Werner Kokler, vice president and leader of environmental activists, praised it“A new step has been taken” With the commencement of the trial. Parliament may convene in an extraordinary session on Tuesday and table a joint motion on the audit

Sebastian Kurz, who entered the government as Foreign Minister in 2013 at the age of 27, then became Foreign Minister in December 2017. He joined the far-right party FPÖ, which saw his government win in May 2019 A corruption scandal known as Ipswich. He then returned to power in January 2020, this time along with the Greens, and the coalition has already been undermined several times by other lawsuits and disagreements over the refugee issue.

However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat Kurz’s party, and said that it was important for them to remain in power in the Austrian political system. He did not specify whether he could return to his duties at the end of the trial, in which he was not charged. “The allegations are false”, The Chancellor, who resigned on Saturday evening, repeatedly, fearfully admitted “Errors” The words of some of these text messages that have been published since Wednesday. The whole investigation was actually exchanged by a powerful man in the shadow of the Chancellor as part of the SMS and captured by the judge in another corruption case.

“Phantom President”

The fact that he is the party leader shows the truth “ÖVP Kurz does not want to change or continue anything without disrupting the system”, Condemned Christian Toys, an administrator of the Austrian Socialist Party (SPÖ). On the other hand, Mr Kurz’s environmental allies welcomed the decision. “This is an important step” For “Continue Government Program” Said Mr. Cochler, who now believes “Continue Government Service” The 52-year-old French-speaking diplomat, Mr. With Challenger, he meets on Sunday.

On the other hand, the enthusiasm of the opposition was low, regretting its continuation “Kurz Organization”. “In a nutshell, for an hour Mr. Kurz is no longer President, but President of the Phantom.”Pamela Rendy-Wagner, leader of the Social Democratic Opposition, responded.