Austrian conservatives, nationalists reach government deal

16/12/2017 4:27

        Conservative and nationalist parties in Austria say they have reached a deal on creating a new coalition government that will make 31-year-old Sebastian Kurz the new chancellor and Europe's youngest leader. Kurz's conservative Austrian People's Party finished first in the country's Oct. 15 election. It then embarked on coalition talks with the right-wing Freedom Party. Kurz and Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache announced Friday that they had wrapped up an agreement on a new coalition, which will shift Austria to the right. Kurz is foreign minister in the outgoing government under Chancellor Christian Kern, a center-left Social Democrat. His party has been the junior partner in that government.