Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (35) is withdrawing from politics. He announced that on Thursday. Kurz resigned as head of government in October over corruption charges. He was still leader of his conservative party ÖVP.
In a statement on Thursday, he said he realized “how much beauty there is outside politics” when his son was born earlier this year and that his ten-year political career has been at the expense of his family. He also denounced “the feeling of always being rushed.”
Also read: Sebastian Kurz makes ‘a deep fall, but on cotton wool’
According to the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung Karl Nehammer becomes the new party leader of the ÖVP. He is also the current Austrian Minister of the Interior.
Corruption
Kurz is said to have paid the Austrian media company Österreich in 2016 as foreign minister with government money, in exchange for positive reporting. In early October, Austrian justice searched Kurz’s office and the Ministry of Finance. Both Kurz and Österreich deny the allegations.
The Austrian parliament decided in mid-November to lift Kurz’s immunity. This allows the Austrian Public Prosecution Service to prosecute. Kurz himself also agreed to the waiver of his immunity, because he wants to defend himself against the corruption charges.
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