VIENNA, October 11. /TASS/: Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen swore in Alexander Schallenberg as Austrian Chancellor following the resignation of Sebastian Kurz.
The inauguration took place on Monday at the office of the head of state in Vienna.
Austria’s Former Foreign Minister Schallenberg took over as the republic’s new Chancellor, representing the conservative Austrian People's Party.
Schallenberg, 52, was born on June 20, 1969, in Switzerland’s Bern in the family of Austrian diplomat Wolfgang Schallenberg. The politician grew up in India, Spain and France, following his father's assignments. Schallenberg has a law degree and studied at the universities of Vienna and Paris. Since 1997, he has been working in the Austrian foreign ministry. He is divorced and has four children.
On October 9, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz decided to step down in the wake of an ongoing investigation into his alleged complicity in bribery and breach of trust. Kurz suggested that the president should appoint Schallenberg as acting head of government. Kurz will remain the leader of the conservative Austrian People’s Party and will take a seat at the National Council (the lower house of parliament). Vice Chancellor and leader of the Green Party Werner Kogler hailed Kurz’s decision, saying that the coalition government will continue to work when Schallenberg takes over as chancellor.
