Austria’s coalition government yesterday teetered on the brink of collapse after video footage published by German newspapers apparently showed Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache discussing state contracts with a potential Russian backer in return for political support.
Senior figures in the government — a coalition of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s conservatives and Strache’s far-right Freedom Party — held a crisis meeting on Friday night.
Kurz, who has distanced himself from the far right to protect his image when lesser scandals have emerged, was due to make a statement later yesterday. The opposition called for Strache to resign.
Photo: Reuters
Even for a party used to controversy, this one appeared too big for it or the government to sit out.
“This is huge. This has to be the end of Heinz-Christian Strache,” political analyst Thomas Hofer said, adding that it was unclear whether Strache’s stepping down or a snap election was more likely.
The video was reported on Friday evening by two of neighboring Germany’s leading media — weekly Der Spiegel and newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung — reportedly showing a meeting in Ibiza between Strache, another party official and a woman claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch.
The newspaper reports also said that the video appeared to be a sting operation.
The footage, recorded in July 2017 — months before the election that brought this government to power — showed Strache talking to the woman.
In it, he appeared to offer to direct inflated construction contracts to a company in exchange for support for his party, although he also said that he wanted everything to be done legally.
Strache did not reply to a request for comment.
The authenticity of the footage could not be independently verified, and the German media did not say how they obtained it.
Strache has headed the party since 2005, bringing it back to mainstream electoral success not seen since it was led by the charismatic Joerg Haider.
The party secured 26 percent of the vote in 2017’s parliamentary election.
The video is also a headache for Kurz, whose party is still leading in opinion polls, but far short of a majority. The only other party with enough seats for a majority is the Social Democrats, with which Kurz, an immigration hard-liner, has difficult relations.
Freedom Party (FPO) cochairman Christian Hafenecker said that the party’s lawyers were evaluating the material.
Neither Strache nor the FPO ever received or granted any benefits from the persons concerned, Hafenecker said in a statement.
“Since the video was obviously recorded illegally, we are preparing appropriate legal steps,” he added.
Vienna prosecutors said that they would study the reports and decide whether there was sufficient cause to open an investigation, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors said.
“The FPO is finished,” ran the headline in the tabloid Kronen Zeitung, which featured in the video since the woman said the oligarch wanted to buy a stake.
It remains unclear who was behind the recording.
FLYBY: The object, appears to be traveling more than 60 kilometers per second, meaning it is not bound by the sun’s orbit, astronomers studying 3I/Atlas said Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through the solar system — only the third-ever spotted, although scientists suspect many more might slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. “It looks kind of fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation. “It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.” Originally known as A11pl3Z before
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
BRICS leaders are to meet in Rio de Janeiro from today, with the bloc depleted by the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who is skipping the annual summit of emerging economies for the first time in 12 years. The grouping meets as its members face imminent and costly tariff wars with the US. Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be dominated by Beijing, which grew much faster and larger than the rest. China has not said why Xi would miss the summit, a first since he became president in 2013. “I expect there
RSS