Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Seeking Brexit support, May offers vote on new referendum

By JILL LAWLESS May's tack toward the op-
Associated Press position further angered
LONDON (AP) — In a ma- pro-Brexit Conservative
jor concession, British Prime lawmakers, who are al-
Minister Theresa May on ready furious at her failure
Tuesday offered U.K. law- to take Britain out of the EU
makers the chance to vote on schedule. They want to
on whether to hold a new replace her with a staunch
referendum on the coun- Brexit supporter such as
try's membership in the Eu- Boris Johnson, a former for-
ropean Union — but only if eign secretary.
they back her thrice-reject- "There's nothing new or
ed Brexit agreement. bold about this bad buffet
May made the offer as part of non-Brexit options," said
of a desperate attempt to Ian Duncan Smith, a former
persuade Parliament to Conservative leader.
back a divorce deal that Conservative lawmaker
will allow the U.K. make an Owen Paterson, a promi-
orderly, if delayed, depar- nent Brexiteer, tweeted
ture from the EU. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech in London, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. that the referendum vote
She plans to ask the House Associated Press promise was "a direct insult
of Commons to vote in to 17.4m people" who vot-
early June on a withdraw- referendum" that would the genuine and sincere the main opposition Labour ed in 2016 to leave the EU.
al agreement bill, in what give Britons a chance to strength of feeling across Party, said May's new bill Britain voted for Brexit in
May called a "last chance" approve or reject the terms the House on this important was merely "a repackaging June 2016 and was due to
to seal a Brexit deal. Soon of Brexit. A referendum is a issue." of the same old bad deal, leave the EU on March 29,
after that vote, she will give key demand of opposition The Brexit referendum, rejected three times by Par- but the bloc has extend-
a timetable for her depar- lawmakers who have until however, will only happen liament." ed the deadline until Oct.
ture as Conservative leader now rejected May's deal. if Parliament backs the EU Ian Blackford, a lawmaker 31 amid the U.K.'s political
and prime minister. "I do not believe that this withdrawal bill and it be- with the pro-EU Scottish Na- impasse. Talks on secur-
In a speech Tuesday, May is a route we should take," comes law, something that tional Party, said it was "too ing a compromise on the
said the bill would include said May, who has long op- still seems unlikely, despite little, too late from a prime Brexit deal between May's
"a requirement to vote on posed a new public vote May's last-minute changes. minister who is headed for Conservatives and Labour
whether to hold a second on Brexit. "But I recognize Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the exit door." broke down last week.q

Austrian chancellor set to face confidence vote next week

By GEIR MOULSON Alexander Van der Bellen
Associated Press to name an interim chan-
BERLIN (AP) — Austrian cellor.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz While Kurz remains in office
is set to face a no-confi- Van der Bellen has asked
dence vote in parliament him to propose interim min-
next week after his gov- isters to replace the Free-
erning coalition collapsed dom Party politicians who
over a corruption scandal. have left the government
Speaker Wolfgang Sobot- — including the interior, de-
ka, a member of Kurz's con- fense and labor ministers.
servative People's Party, set The president said Foreign
a special session of the leg- Minister Karin Kneissl, who
islature for Monday. Oppo- was nominated by the
sition parties wanted it held Freedom Party but isn't a
this week, but Sobotka said party member, has agreed
he wants to "give space to to stay on.
the EU election campaign," Van der Bellen, a liberal
the Austria Press Agency whose position puts him
reported Tuesday. Austria above the cut-and-thrust
elects European Parliament of politics, said the interim
lawmakers Sunday. ministers will have to be "im-
The opposition Now party peccable experts."
has drawn up a no-confi- "Let us not forget that there
dence motion seeking to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, left, shake hands with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian has been a massive be-
Kurz, of the Austrian People's Party, OEVP, right, prior to their meeting at the Hofburg palace in
oust Kurz before an early Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. trayal of trust as a result of
national election expected Associated Press this disturbing image of im-
in September. morality from Ibiza," he said
Kurz called for that elec- video appearing to offer the 183 seats in parliament. remove him — depriving after meeting Kurz.
tion after far-right Freedom favors to a purported Rus- It isn't yet clear whether the the 32-year-old of the ad- Strache has said he was set
Party leader Heinz-Christian sian investor during a meet- second- and third-biggest vantage of going into the up through illegal surveil-
Strache, who was his vice ing two years ago on the parties, the center-left So- national election as the in- lance but conceded his
chancellor, resigned Satur- Spanish island of Ibiza. cial Democrats and the cumbent. behavior was "stupid, irre-
day. Strache was shown on Kurz's party holds only 61 of Freedom Party, will vote to That would leave President sponsible and a mistake."q