Austria: Sebastian Kurz resigns as Federal Chancellor.
The 35-year-old remains the central ÖVP figure - the opposition warns of a "shadow chancellor" Kurz.
Update, 4.35 p.m.:
The resignation of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz does not go far enough for the opposition in Austria: With the continuation of the coalition of Kurz 'ÖVP with the Greens under the designated successor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), the "turquoise system" will continue, said the SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner on Saturday evening, alluding to the party color of the conservatives, and warned of a "shadow chancellor" Kurz. Schallenberg met Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) and Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on Sunday.
Kurz resigned on Saturday evening, but wants to remain ÖVP boss and also chairman of the parliamentary group.
According to APA, Kurz's successor, 52-year-old Schallenberg, is likely to be sworn in as Federal Chancellor on Monday.
On the way to becoming president, Schallenberg spoke of an "enormously challenging task and time".
“But I think we show an incredible amount of responsibility”.
Austria: Sebastian Kurz resigns, coalition remains
Update from Sunday, 10.10.2021, 8:25 a.m.:
With the resignation of Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) from the office of Federal Chancellor, the government
crisis
in Austria is over.
As a coalition partner of the conservative ÖVP, the Greens declared that they now want to continue the alliance.
For Sunday, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, as the successor to Sebastian Kurz and Greens boss Werner Kogler, have agreed a one-on-one meeting.
Kurz himself changes from the chancellery to parliament to the seat of the parliamentary group leader of the ÖVP.
He also remains chairman of the ÖVP.
The opposition is not satisfied with this castling.
This means that the 35-year-old remains an extremely influential political figure and the "Kurz system" is preserved, criticized SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.
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Shortly after the statement leaves the room in the Federal Chancellery in Vienna.
© Georg Hochmuth / APA / dpa
Opposition in Austria: Sebastian Kurz's power-political move
Update, 10:21 p.m.:
Sebastian Kurz's move from the Austrian Chancellery to Parliament is a move from the opposition's point of view, but not a system change.
"Sebastian Kurz fled to parliamentary immunity," said the head of the right-wing FPÖ, Herbert Kickl.
He was referring to corruption investigations against the conservative Kurz (ÖVP), which led to his resignation on Saturday evening.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg is to take over the Chancellery.
The opposition parties saw the fact that Kurz remains party leader and becomes parliamentary group leader not only as a legal but also as a political maneuver.
They agreed that this attitude would now be maintained and that the "System Kurz" would continue to exist.
"For an hour, Kurz has not been Federal Chancellor, but is the shadow chancellor of the republic," said the social democratic party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner.
Head of the liberal Neos Beate Meinl-Reisinger said that Kurz would continue to keep all the strings in hand.
When Kurz took over the management of the ÖVP in 2017, he had extensive rights of intervention guaranteed, which are still in force.
He alone can determine the government team, the lists of candidates in parliamentary elections and the political line of the ÖVP.
After resignation: Kurz again rejects allegations
Update, 9.44 p.m.:
According to Kurz's opinion, the ÖVP should continue to govern, he proposed Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as his successor. Briefly wants to remain party chairman. The 35-year-old rejected the allegations against him again. These were from 2016, "They are wrong and I will be able to clear that up too". He is "deeply convinced" of that. Until then, the presumption of innocence also applies to him.
Instead, Kurz made serious accusations against the Greens.
The coalition partner had decided to "take a clear position against me" and thus brought about a "stalemate".
This attitude is “irresponsible”, because Austria is risking “sliding into months of chaos or stagnation”.
"What is needed now is stable conditions, so I would like to make room in order to resolve the stalemate," said Kurz.
Government crisis in Austria: ability of the government to act doubtful
Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen had questioned the government's ability to act.
He spoke of a “moral image that is not good for democracy”.
Vice Chancellor and Green Leader Werner Kogler also called on the ÖVP to nominate another Federal Chancellor.
Before Kurz's resignation was announced on Saturday, the parliamentary groups held talks about an alternative leadership in the country. According to information from the Austrian news agency APA, the Greens no longer ruled out cooperation with the right-wing populist FPÖ. The head of the social democratic SPÖ, Rendi-Wagner, did not rule out an alliance of four made up of the Greens, the FPÖ and the liberal Neos and the FPÖ. Kurz described such a government coalition as "irresponsible" and "an experiment". That is why he “asked the government team of the People's Party to continue government work”. He himself will return to parliament as party and parliamentary group leader “and try to make my contribution there,” explained Kurz. Above all, he wanted to rebut the allegations made against him.
Resignation of Sebastian Kurz: "My country is more important to me than my person"
First report from Saturday, October 9th, 2021, 8:02 p.m .:
Vienna - Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) has announced his resignation as Austrian Chancellor.
He announced the move on Saturday after prosecutors named the conservative politician as a suspect in a corruption case * of allegedly purchased media coverage.
Without the withdrawal, a break in the coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens, which Kurz had declared incapable of action, would have threatened.
“My country is more important to me than myself,” he said.
Kurz did not announce a complete withdrawal from politics.
He will remain the ÖVP boss and move to parliament as a parliamentary group leader, he said.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) should take over his office as Chancellor.
Sebastian Kurz announces resignation: crimes of infidelity and corruption
On Wednesday, investigators searched the Federal Chancellery and the party headquarters of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) *.
According to the public prosecutor's office for business and corruption, Kurz's close colleagues are suspected of having bought well-meaning reporting in a media company in order to pave the way for Kurz to become party leaders and the Federal Chancellery from 2016 onwards.
For this money from the Ministry of Finance is said to have been misappropriated.
The investigators see in Kurz a participant in the crimes of infidelity and corruption.
The 35-year-old has denied all allegations *.
The Greens, as coalition partners of the ÖVP, had declared Kurz no longer fit for office and demanded his withdrawal - as a condition for the continuation of the cooperation.
If Kurz had not resigned, opposition parties would have tabled a vote of no confidence on Tuesday.
A few votes from the Greens would have been enough for a majority.
Sebastian Kurz announces resignation: Schallenberg will be the new head of government
The conservative-green government under Kurz was sworn in at the beginning of 2020.
Before that, Kurz had ruled with the right-wing FPÖ from 2017 to 2019.
The 52-year-old Schallenberg has been jointly responsible for Austria's foreign policy in top positions for years.
The multilingual, internationally experienced diplomat is just as tough on migration issues as Kurz.
(sot with dpa)
* fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA