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Austrian Chancellor Kurz resigns, proposing FM as successor

Xinhua | Updated: 2021-10-10 07:17
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A photo taken on April 28, 2021 shows then Austrian Chancellor and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (R) addressing a press conference following a ministerial council meeting at the Chancellery in Vienna. Austria's Sebastian Kurz on October 9, 2021 announced he was stepping down as chancellor following pressure on him to resign after he was implicated in a corruption scandal. Kurz said he would nominate Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as new chancellor, while he would stay on as the leader of his People's Party (OeVP) and a lawmaker in parliament. [Photo/Agencies]

VIENNA - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced his resignation on Saturday evening, and proposed Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as his successor.

In a statement to the media, Kurz said that he wanted to avoid months of chaos and stagnation. "My country is more important to me than my person," he said.

Kurz said that he would return to parliament as the chairman of his conservative party and "use the opportunity to refute the allegations," which he claimed were "false."

Meanwhile, Kurz proposed Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as his successor, noting that Schallenberg had the diplomatic skills necessary to rebuild trust between the parties.

Kurz has been facing increasing calls for him to step down, including from his own government allies, as the 35-year-old chancellor and nine others have been under investigation over claims that government money was used in a corrupt deal to ensure positive media coverage.

The opposition has called on Kurz to step down and has planned to take a no-confidence vote against him in parliament next Tuesday.

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