Austrian Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, head
of the conservative party in the centrist coalition government, said on
Wednesday he was stepping down, having failed
to quell in-fighting and
speculation about the party's future leadership.
The surprise move raises the question of whether the
coalition of Mitterlehner's People's Party (OVP) and Chancellor Christian
Kern's Social Democrats (SPO) will collapse. He did not say what it meant for
the coalition's future.
There has been persistent speculation about whether
the alliance can hold as the bickering parties have struggled to overcome a
widespread perception that their government is ineffective. That has fueled
support for the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which is running first in opinion
polls.
Mitterlehner's resignation, which he said would take
effect on May 15 as far as his posts as vice chancellor and economics minister
were concerned, is likely to raise the pressure on 30-year-old Foreign Minister
Sebastian Kurz to take the party's reins, as many expect him to do before the
next election.
"I am not a place-holder," Mitterlehner said
at a hastily convened news conference, apparently referring to speculation that
Kurz might take over, even though he has said he has no interest in the job at
present.
A spokesman for Kurz was not immediately available for
comment. Kern called a news conference for 1:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).
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