Austria to hold parliamentary election on September 29

Austria’s cabinet has set September 29 as the date for a parliamentary election, a spokesman for the head of the provisional government, Brigitte Bierlein, said on Wednesday.

That was the first date on which the vote could have been held after parliament passed a bill last month ending the current legislative period, Reuters reported.

The coalition government collapsed last month after a sting video forced the head of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Heinz-Christian Strache, to step down. The move prompted conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to call off their alliance.

Kurz tried to remain in his post as head of what was effectively a minority government but parliament dismissed him and his cabinet, saying he deserved at least some of the blame for the political crisis set off by the sting, in which Strache appeared to offer to fix state contracts.