Austrian Vice Chancellor announces resignation

Austria's Vice Chancellor and leader of the People's Party, Reinhold Mitterlehner, Wednesday announced he would resign from all political positions.

Mitterlehner said he is to leave the office of Vice Chancellor and economic minister on May 15, and he is expected to step down from his party leader by this weekend.

"It's enough," he told reporters in a news conference on Wednesday.

The conservative People's Party is currently in alliance with the central left Social Democratic Party of Austria in the country's parliament.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said he regretted Mitterlehner's decision but understood and accepted the reasons.

Mitterlehner's resignation had been publicly speculated, as local media reported infighting in the People's Party.

As a logical successor, foreign minister Sebastian Kurz recently declared that he did not want to take over the party at the moment.