Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned to pull his coalition government back from the brink of collapse after the junior party demanded his head because he has been placed under investigation on suspicion of corruption
The move by Kurz, who denies wrongdoing, satisfied his coalition partner, the Greens, and came just three days before a special session of parliament at which they were preparing to back a motion of no-confidence that would have forced him out.At the same time, his resignation is more a matter of form than substance in terms of policy. He plans to stay on as his party's leader and become its top lawmaker in parliament, and he is likely to continue to call the shots in the coalition.
"I believe this is the right step for future government work," Greens leader and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said in a statement, adding he had had a "very constructive" working relationship with Schallenberg and would meet him on Sunday. Schallenberg, 52, who worked with Kurz when Kurz was foreign minister before he became chancellor, is unlikely to shed the image of a man who owes his ministerial career to Kurz.
Austrian media reports before Kurz's announcement had said he would step down only temporarily. While Kurz did not say that he did say of his future: "Above all ... I will of course use the opportunity to refute and disprove the accusations that have been made against me."
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