Austria got a new Chancellor on October 11, 2021, two days after the former leader Sebastian Kurz resigned amid the corruption allegations, however, the direction of the government policy was not expected to change.
The President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen swore in Alexander Schallenberg as Chancellor. He was was the former Foreign Minister of Austria.
Alexander Schallenberg, after being sworn in as the President said that he will do everything to refill the trenches caused by the recent government crisis in the country and also do everything in his power to serve Austria.
The new Chancellor also assured that he will continue to work closely with the conservative leader Sebastian Kurz. They both share a hardline on immigration.
#UPDATE Austria's top diplomat Alexander #Schallenberg took over as the country's chancellor on Monday, as the ruling party tries to emerge from a corruption scandal that cost the job of one of Europe's youngest leaders https://t.co/eOWNWpEQPl pic.twitter.com/DGVLYLdGze
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 11, 2021
Why former Chancellor Kurz resigned?
Sebastian Kurz announced on October 9 that he will step aside to defuse a political crisis that was triggered by the prosecutor’s announcement that he is one of the targets of an investigation into the suspected bribery and breach of trust.
Kurz’s junior coalition partners, the Greens, demanded his replacement, even though Kurz denies any wrongdoings.
The former Chancellor and his associates have been accused of trying to secure his rise to the leadership of his party and the country with the help of manipulated polls and friendly media reports financed with public money.
Sebastian Kurz had become the leader of Austria’s People’s Party and then the Chancellor of the country in 2017.
Kurz to fight corruption allegations
Former Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz has stepped down as Chancellor, however, he will keep his role as Party Leader and will also be the head of its Parliamentary Group. It will keep him at the heart of Austrian politics while he fights the corruption allegations.
He rejected the allegation against him and said that he will try to hang on to power. In a statement, he said that he will work at high speed in the coming days to make sure that there is an orderly transition.
Who is Alexander Schallenberg?
• Schallenberg is an Austrian diplomat, jurist, and politician of the Austrian People’s Party.
• Before taking charge as the Chancellor of Austria in October 2021, he was serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under the second term of the Kurz Government.
• Alexander Schallenberg was a career diplomat who became a mentor to Sebastian Kurz when the latter became the Foreign Minister. Kurz appointed him as the director of strategic foreign policy and head of the European Department.
• Schallenberg joined the cabinet in 2019 as the Foreign Minister. After Kurz announced his resignation, Schallenberg was proposed by OVP to replace him in the post of Chancellor of Austria.
Austria’s Political system: Background
The Federal Chancellor of Austria is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. The position of Chancellor corresponds to that of Prime Minister in several other Parliamentary Democracies.
The Chancellor of Austria chairs and leads the cabinet, which is composed of the Chancellor, vice-chancellor, and the ministers. With the President, who is head of the state, the cabinet forms Austria’s executive branch leadership.
Austria is the Parliamentary Republic, the system of the government in which the real power is vested in the head of government.
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