(ANSA-AP) - VIENNA, 01 OCT - Heinz-Christian Strache, the
former Austrian vice chancellor at the center of a scandal that
brought down the country's last government, said Tuesday that he
is suspending his membership in the far-right Freedom Party and
ending his political career amid anger over its poor showing in
a snap election.
Strache led the party for 14 years until May, when a video
showing him offering favors to a purported Russian investor
triggered the collapse of conservative Chancellor Sebastian
Kurz's government. Strache also faces an investigation for
suspected breach of trust over the alleged billing of private
expenses to his party, which contributed to its weak election
performance on Sunday.
The party won around 16% of the vote, 10 percentage points
fewer than in Austria's 2017 election, as supporters either
switched to Kurz's center-right People's Party or stayed home.
Strache on Tuesday renewed his denial of any wrongdoing, but
said he was getting out of politics to protect his family and
prevent splits in the party. "I am announcing with a heavy heart
that I am suspending my membership in the Freedom Party until
further notice and until legal clarification of the accusations
against me," he said. "I am not only suspending my party
membership but, as of today, also ceasing all political activity
and not seeking any political function," he added in a statement
to reporters in Vienna. Strache's announcement came ahead of a
meeting of the Freedom Party's leadership and as some figures in
the party raised the possibility of throwing him out. (ANSA-AP).
© Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved