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President of Constitutional Court Bierlein to become interim Chancellor of Austria

She will become Austria’s first female chancellor

President of the Constitutional Court of Austria Brigitte Bierlein EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

President of the Constitutional Court of Austria Brigitte Bierlein

© EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

VIENNA, May 30. /TASS/. The Austrian president decided to appoint President of the Constitutional Court of Austria Brigitte Bierlein, aged 69, as interim Chancellor to form a temporary government ahead of the early election to the National Council (the lower chamber of parliament). She will become Austria’s first female chancellor. President Alexander Van der Bellen said about it after consultations with the leaders of Austrian political parties.

"She is the sitting president of the Austrian Constitutional Court and will be named chancellor of the Austrian Republic by me within days," President Alexander Van der Bellen told the media.

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Austrian government led by Kurz falls victim to Russophobic campaign, Lavrov says

On May 28, the Austrian president dismissed the government headed by Sebastian Kurz and ordered the ministers to perform their duties until an interim government is formed. He also ordered Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance Hartwig Loger to serve as acting chancellor, as Kurz had refused to temporarily perform his duties. Loger had to govern the cabinet of ministers for several days until the president found a candidate for the post of acting chancellor. Loger himself could not occupy this post for long, because Kurz’s government had received a no-confidence motion in the parliament.

The reshuffling in the Austrian government occurred after the National Council had voted no-confidence to Kurz’s cabinet of ministers on May 27 in light of the governmental crisis amid former Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache’s vociferous resignation. Following the dissolution of the coalition government of the Austrian People's Party (OVP) and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Austria is preparing for an early election to the National Council due in September 2019.

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