Austria gets new chancellor after graft scandal rocks govt
ALE ANDER Schallenberg, a long-time diplomat, was sworn in as chancellor of Austria on Monday, two days after Sebastian Kurz resigned in the face of a corruption inquiry that shook the ruling coalition.
President Alexander Van der Bellen, who presided over the ceremony, said: “We all expect that the government will now go back to work and move things forward together.”
Schallenberg, 52, moves to the chancellery after having held the post of foreign minister since 2019. He is the son of a diplomat and grew up in India, Spain and France.
“Together with Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler, I will now do everything in my power to bridge the gaps that have arisen,” Schallenberg said in his first statement as chancellor.
The task now is to implement the recently negotiated agreements on a budget and a climate tax model.
Austria’s political turmoil began last week, when it was announced that 35-year-old Kurz and several others were under investigation on allegations of misuse of public funds.
Kurz’s decision to quit prevented the collapse of the governing coalition between his conservative Austrian People’s Party (OeVP) and the leftist Greens.
Kogler, who is also the Green Party leader, expressed satisfaction with the personnel changes at the top of the government.
“I assume that the chances are now very good again,” he said about the continuation of the coalition until the next regular election in 2024.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Schallenberg on Twitter.
“I look forward to further successful cooperation for Austria and the European Union and hope for a successful partnership for the tasks ahead,” she wrote on Monday.
Schallenberg and Kurz worked together for years. The new chancellor takes as restrictive a stance on migration issues as his predecessor and has sometimes echoed Kurz’s antiEU notes.
“I will of course work very closely with him,” Schallenberg said about Kurz.
Kurz is under investigation over accusations government money was used to pay for positive media coverage while he was serving as foreign minister in 201 .
Originally, the opposition had called a special session of the lower house of parliament, the National Council, for a vote of no confidence in Kurz. However, after he stepped down, the far-right Freedom Party of
Austria (FPOe) announced a motion of no confidence in the entire government for Tuesday.
They say the Greens would continue to support the corrupt OeVP system. In addition, the FPOe and the liberal Neos are demanding more transparent regulations on the allocation of government advertisements to the media.
Kurz denies any wrongdoing but bowed to political pressure and resigned on Saturday evening.
The former chancellor, however, wants to stay on as OeVP leader and become parliamentary group leader. The opposition criticized this move, saying he will remain an extremely influential political figure.
But Kurz does not see himself continuing as a behind-thescenes ruler after resigning his position.
“I am not a shadow chancellor,” Kurz wrote in an online message.
Career diplomat Michael Linhart, 3, is the new foreign minister. He most recently served as ambassador in Paris.