Kurz to quit as Austrian chancellor amid corruption probe

By GEIR MOULSON
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says he will step down in a bid to defuse a government crisis triggered by prosecutors’ announcement that he is a target of a corruption investigation. The 35-year-old Kurz said Saturday he has proposed that Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg replace him. Kurz himself plans to become the head of his Austrian People’s Party’s parliamentary group. The junior partner in the governing coalition, the Greens, said Friday that Kurz couldn’t remain as chancellor and demanded that his party nominate an “irreproachable person” to replace him. The Greens’ leader welcomed Kurz’s resignation and said “this means that we can continue our work in government.”