Austria's far-right Freedom Party chooses new leader

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party has nominated Herbert Kickl, the country’s combative former interior minister, as its new leader

BERLIN -- Austria's far-right Freedom Party on Monday nominated Herbert Kickl, the country's combative former interior minister, as its new leader. The opposition party's leadership chose Kickl for the top job, the Austria Press Agency reported. The move will need endorsement by a party congress on June 19. Kickl, 52, will be the second Freedom Party leader since the resignation in 2019 of Heinz-Christian Strache, who was then Austria's vice chancellor. Strache led the party for 14 years until his downfall over a video showing him offering favors to a purported Russian investor, which triggered the collapse of conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s government. Kurz returned to power last year in a new coalition with the Greens.