posted ago by ThankGod ago by ThankGod +9 / -0

Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg was sworn in as chancellor on Monday after Sebastian Kurz resigned in the face of corruption allegations, while the opposition said the new leader would merely continue to do Kurz's bidding.

The Greens, the junior partner to Kurz's conservatives, had demanded Kurz's head after he and nine others including senior aides were placed under investigation last week on suspicion of varying degrees of breach of trust, corruption and bribery. Kurz, who denies wrongdoing, will remain head of his party and become its top lawmaker in parliament.

He has been his party's undisputed leader until now and Schallenberg, who will give a speech at 2 p.m. (1200 GMT), is a career diplomat and close ally who is a relative newcomer to politics. Critics say he is unlikely to be his own man. He has declined to comment until after he is sworn in.

President Alexander Van der Bellen said the government needed to regain public trust shaken by the investigation.

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/austria-alexander-schallenberg-sworn-in-as-chancellor-after-kurz-quits-681652