Austria’s president has called for new elections to take place in September after a corruption scandal involving a fake Russian oligarch brought down the country’s right-wing government.

Speaking at a press conference with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Sunday, President Alexander Van der Bellen said he would seek to hold elections at the earliest possible date, indicating that a vote early in September would be his preference.

The Green party politician made clear that it was critical for Austria’s government to remain stable in the coming months, when horse trading over the allocation of key EU posts will take place in the wake of next week’s European elections.

But he added that having elections as early as possible was the only way that Vienna could restore domestic faith in politics and stabilise its reputation abroad.

“The only thing that is important now is protecting the integrity of our country and how we are seen in the European Union and the whole world,” van der Bellen stated.

Austrian politics was thrown into turmoil on Friday when two German newspapers published experts from a secretly recorded meeting between the country's vice-Chancellor, Hans-Christian Strache, and a woman posing as the daughter of a Russian oligarch.