Billionaire Stronach to quit Austrian parliament after setbacks


Austrian-Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach attends a news conference in Vienna January 28, 2014. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian-Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach said on Tuesday he was quitting Austria's parliament, 16 months after founding a party that he hoped would reshape its political landscape but fell short of his ambitions.

He advocated wresting politics away from professional politicians, giving big tax breaks to companies that invest at home, and boosting purchasing power for workers. But Stronach scored a disappointing 6 percent in national elections in September after a campaign on which he lavished 30 million euros (24 million pounds) - 20 million outright and 10 million in loans - and rose as high as 10 percent in opinion polls.

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