December 02, 2021 - 1:40 AM
BERLIN (AP) — Austrian media report that the country's former chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, plans to quit politics, a month after stepping down as leader amid corruption allegations.
Vienna daily Krone reported Thursday that Interior Minister Karl Nehammer could replace Kurz as the head of the conservative Austrian People's Party.
It quoted people close to Kurz as saying the 35-year-old had made the decision to leave politics following the recent birth of his first child.
Kurz resigned as chancellor last month after Austrian prosecutors announced that he was one of the targets of an investigation into suspected bribery and breach of trust. Kurz’s junior coalition partners, the Greens, had demanded his replacement.
He was succeeded as chancellor by Alexander Schallenberg, the former foreign minister.
Kurz, who denies any wrongdoing, and his close associates are 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. Kurz became the leader of his Austrian People’s Party and then chancellor in 2017.
News from © The Associated Press, 2021