World News | Austria's Ex-chancellor Kurz Says He's Leaving Politics
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Thursday that he is quitting politics, two months after stepping down as leader amid corruption allegations.
Berlin, Dec 2 (AP) Austria's former chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Thursday that he is quitting politics, two months after stepping down as leader amid corruption allegations.
Kurz said the recent birth of his first child had motivated him to take the step.
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The 35-year-old said he had always done his best to "move our beautiful Austria a little bit in the right direction,” but acknowledged having made some mistakes during his 10-year career.
Still, Kurz insisted: “I'm neither a saint, nor a criminal.”
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“I'm a human being with strengths and weaknesses,” he told reporters in Vienna, adding that he looked forward to defending himself against the corruption allegations in court.
Kurz resigned as chancellor in October 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.
Austrian media reported that Interior Minister Karl Nehammer could replace Kurz as the head of the conservative Austrian People's Party and possibly succeed Schallenberg as chancellor.(AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)