Kurz faces tricky search for partners despite victory

VIENNA, Austria - The 33-year-old leader of Austria's center-right People's Party, Sebastian Kurz, was facing the start of a tough search for possible coalition partners on Monday, despite resounding success in parliamentary elections.

His party won a clear victory with around 37 percent in Sunday's vote, a marked improvement on its performance in 2017 and a result which means Kurz will have the responsibility of sounding out other parties - which may now be an uphill task.

His win came despite the fact that his last government collapsed in May after his far-right coalition ally, the Freedom Party, was engulfed in the "Ibiza-gate" corruption scandal that led to the resignation of its leader Heinz-Christian Strache.