Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted by the Austrian Parliament. He was ousted as he lost the no confidence in a special Parliamentary session.
His previous coalition ally, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ) backed the no-confidence motions. The FPÖ had become embroiled in a political scandal caused by a secret video, which ended the coalition.
Opposition parties brought forward the two no-confidence votes – one against Kurz and the other against his government. Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen named Vice Chancellor Hartwig Löger as the interim leader. Löger will serve until a new transitional government can be appointed ahead of elections expected in September.
Kurz, head of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, is the first Chancellor in post-war Austrian history to lose a confidence vote. He was the world’s youngest state leader when elected in 2017, at 31.
Kurz’s surprisingly strong showing in recent European Union elections – with a projected 35% of the vote – was not enough to save him.
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