Advertisement

Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, world’s youngest leader, plots return to power after being sacked by parliament

  • Sebastian Kurz the first chancellor in Austria’s post-war history to removed from office by a no-confidence vote
  • The motion against Kurz and his cabinet is the latest fallout from the so-called ‘Ibiza-gate’ scandal

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was ousted by parliament in a no-confidence vote Monday following a scandal that had already brought down his coalition government. Photo: EPA

Ousted Austrian leader Sebastian Kurz started his campaign to take back the chancellery hours after his estranged coalition partners in the nationalist Freedom Party joined the opposition in a vote to dismiss him.

Advertisement
The vote capped a week of turmoil at the top in Austria that started when Kurz pulled the plug on his coalition with the far-right Freedom Party after a video emerged showing that party’s leader appearing to be offering lucrative government contracts to a purported Russian investor.

A new election is already planned for September and President Alexander Van der Bellen needs to appoint a caretaker government to serve until then.

Less than three hours after losing his job Monday, Kurz appeared before a cheering crowd outside party offices in Vienna, pledging that “the changes that we began two years ago will not end today”.

He said he looked forward to helping the interim government ensure stability in the coming months, and would fight to win back his position.

Advertisement

“In the end, the people will decide in September, and I’m happy about that,” he said to chants from the crowd of “Chancellor Kurz!”

Advertisement