Austrian parties agree to hold snap election on Oct. 15

VIENNA

Major political parties in the lower house of Austria’s parliament agreed Tuesday to hold a snap election this Oct. 15, parliament said in a statement.

The statement said that Chancellor Christian Kern and Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz approved the agreement that was signed by Kern’s Social Democratic Party (SPO), Kurz’s Austria’s People Party (OVP), and the other four parties in parliament.

For months Austria has faced political turmoil between the SPO and its coalition partner conservative OVP over reform policies.

On May 10, former OVP leader and Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner reigned from the government as well as the party helm, forcing the country into a deep political crisis.

The OVP’s new leader Kurz on Sunday refused to take the vice-chancellor post and called for an early parliamentary election.

*Reporting by Askin Kiyagan; Writing by Sorwar Alam

VIENNA

Major political parties in the lower house of Austria’s parliament agreed Tuesday to hold a snap election this Oct. 15, parliament said in a statement.

For months Austria has faced political turmoil between the SPO and its coalition partner conservative OVP over reform policies.

On May 10, former OVP leader and Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner reigned from the government as well as the party helm, forcing the country into a deep political crisis.

The OVP’s new leader Kurz on Sunday refused to take the vice-chancellor post and called for an early parliamentary election.

*Reporting by Askin Kiyagan; Writing by Sorwar Alam