YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. Sebastian Kurz hopes to be re-elected as Chancellor in the upcoming early Austrian general elections. His duties as Chancellor were suspended on May 28.

“Austrians will make a decision. We will have a new composition of parliament, and I, of course, hope will have a chance to continue the good work for the country as chancellor. I would like to continue our path,” he told Kronen Zeitung.

Austria's parliament has removed Chancellor Sebastian Kurz from office, with  his previous coalition ally, the Freedom Party (FPÖ), and the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ) on Monday backing the no-confidence motion during a special session, BBC reported. The President of Austria has formally dismissed Kurz from office on May 28.

The FPÖ had become embroiled in a political scandal caused by a leaked secret video alleging corruption within government circles. 

On Tuesday, Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen appointed an interim government led by Vice-Chancellor Hartwig Löger. The president asked for some ministers to say in office during the transitional period.

General elections are expected in September.

Löger is a member of Kurz's People's Party (ÖVP) and the country's finance minister.

He was appointed vice-chancellor days ago after the previous holder of the office, FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache, was sacked over the video sting.

Kurz was elected in 2017, he was at 31 the world's youngest state leader.

The video sting has widely been labelled "Ibiza-gate", after the Spanish island where the footage was recorded.

It was secretly filmed in July 2017 - just weeks before the election which saw both the FPÖ and Chancellor Kurz's party perform well.

Last week, a Vienna lawyer said he had been involved in the sting, describing it as a "civil society-driven project in which investigative-journalistic approaches were taken".

In the footage, released by German media this month, Strache can be seen relaxing and drinking for hours at a villa with FPÖ parliament group leader Johann Gudenus, while they meet a woman, who says she is Alyona Makarova, the niece of Russian oligarch Igor Makarov.

Strache appears to propose offering her public contracts if she buys a large stake in the Austrian newspaper Kroner Zeitung - and compels it to support the FPÖ.

He is heard suggesting that a number of journalists would have to be "pushed" from the newspaper, and that he wants to "build a media landscape like [Viktor] Orban" - referring to Hungary's nationalist prime minister.

It later emerged that Makarov does not have a niece, and the whole evening back in 2017 was an elaborate trap.

President Van der Bellen then fired FPÖ Interior Minister Herbert Kickl at the request of Kurz.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan