Austria’s new chancellor resigns after two months

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has announced his resignation only two months after taking office, The Associated Press reported.

Schallenberg said on Thursday that he will step down as soon as the Austrian People’s Party, which currently holds the most seats of any party represented in the country’s parliament, selects a new leader. 

“I’m of the firm opinion that the two posts — head of government and leader of the party with the most votes in Austria — need to be quickly united in a single hand,” Schallenberg said.

Austrian media outlets have reported that the country’s current minister of the interior, Karl Nehammer, may become the new leader of the People’s Party and succeed Schallenberg as chancellor, according to the AP.

Schallenberg assumed the chancellorship in October after his predecessor, former People’s Party leader Sebastian Kurz, left office amid corruption allegations.

According to the AP, Kurz and his associates were accused of manipulating polls and financing positive media representations with public money to help him secure his rise on Austria’s political ladder. Before Kurz’s resignation, prosecutors said he was being investigated for suspected bribery and breach of trust.

Hours before Schallenberg’s Thursday announcement, Kurz said that he is leaving politics to spend more time with his family. He added that while he has always tried to do what is best for Austria, he has made some mistakes in his political career.

“I’m a human being with strengths and weaknesses,” Kurz told reporters.