Austria: Coalition partner takes other to court over ‘lies’

VIENNA – Austria’s Social Democratic Party is going to court over a comment made by the head of its government coalition partner, saying he lied when he said that the Social Democrats accepted a large donation in campaigning ahead of October national elections.

The move against Sebastian Kurz of the centre-right People’s Party comes after Kurz said during a TV discussion that the Social Democrats were given 100,000 euros (nearly $120,000) from a backer as part of what he said was murky campaign funding.

Social Democratic Party official Georg Nedermuhlbichler told the Austria Press Agency on Friday that his party is taking legal action because Kurz “remains silent about the lies that he spread.”

Snap elections were called for October after the two parties acknowledged that they no longer could work together.