Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigns
Baku, May 9, AZERTAC
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigned Monday from his position as leader of the government and the Social-Democratic party (SPÖ), following the far right’s triumph in the first round of presidential elections, according to POLITICO.
“This country needs a chancellor who gets full support from his party. The government needs to make a strong new start. Whoever does not have this support cannot accomplish this task,” Faymann, who had been chancellor since 2008, said in a short statement in Vienna.
Faymann’s decision comes after days of speculation over whether he would be forced to resign. Pressure on him began to build after the disastrous showing of the Social Democratic candidate in the first round of presidential elections last month. The candidate for the right-wing Freedom Party finished first with 35 percent, in what many saw as a protest vote against the grand coalition led by Faymann. The second round takes place on May 22.
Other news in this section
