Austria’s Kurz Resigns as Chancellor Amid Corruption Probe

Foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg proposed as successor
Kurz to remain party leader with influence over policy

Sebastian Kurz arrives to give a press statement on the government crisis at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 9.Photographer: Georg Hochmuth/AFP/Getty Images

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By Marton Eder and Jonathan Tirone

October 9, 2021 at 5:15 PM UTC

Updated on

October 9, 2021 at 8:22 PM UTC

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned Saturday in the face of corruption allegations, a stunning blow for a rising star of European conservative politics.

In televised comments, Kurz said the government had reached a “stalemate” with all other parties arrayed against him, and that he’d asked Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen to name Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as chancellor.