Snap parliamentary elections are set to take place in Austria in September, in the wake of the resignation of the country's vice-chancellor.
Heinz-Christian Strache of the far-right Freedom Party stepped down after becoming embroiled in a scandal over secret video footage.
TheLocal reports the resignation came after reports on Friday about secretly recorded video footage appearing to show Mr Strache promising public contracts to a fake Russian backer.
It's alleged he told the woman claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch that he'd grant the contracts in return for political and financial support.
Confirming his decision to step down yesterday, Mr Strache insisted he'd done nothing illegal - but said his actions were 'dumb and irresponsible'.
The Freedom Party is the smaller party in a coalition led by the centre-right Austrian People's Party.
Following the resignation, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz swiftly proposed snap elections.
He claimed several recent scandals involving the Freedom Party had damaged the reputation of the country, as well as hurting his government's own political efforts.
Today, Chancellor Kurz met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen to discuss a 'roadmap' for the next parliamentary election.
Following the meeting, President Van der Bellen confirmed he's proposing that the snap polls be held in September.
In a statement, he pointed out that the country's European elections are only a week away - and that will be followed by 'weeks and months' of intensive discussions in the EU.
However, he also stressed that work is now needed to "restore confidence" in national institutions.
The president said he'll now hold talks with minister Norbert Hofer - who was named as Freedom Party leader following Mr Strache's departure - and opposition leaders.
