Kurz Sworn In as Austria's Chancellor for 2nd Time

VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th January, 2020) Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday swore in the country's new government, headed by Sebastian Kurz, making it his second tenure as the country's chancellor.

Last Wednesday, Kurz announced that his Austrian People's Party (OVP) had concluded its negotiations with the Green Party, reaching an agreement on forming a coalition government after the September snap election.

The ceremony took place in the president's office. Before swearing in the new cabinet, Van der Bellen relieved from duty the interim government led by the very first female chancellor of Austria, Brigitte Bierlein.

A snap general election was held in Austria on September 29, after the coalition government of Kurz's OVP and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) collapsed in May over a video scandal, implicating Heinz-Christian Strache, the FPO leader, in alleged corruption. The OVP won with 37.5 percent of the vote and started coalition talks with the Green Party that secured the fourth place with a 13.9 percent of the vote.