Austrian set to be Europe’s first millennial leader
AUSTRIA: At age 31, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz is poised to become the first millennial to lead a European country following his party’s victory in a national election yesterday.
While no party won a majority, the telegenic Kurz is most likely to be sworn in as Austria’s next chancellor – and Europe’s youngest leader – after the tough coalition negotiations that lie ahead.
Near-final results put his People’s Party comfortably in first place, with 31.4 per cent of the vote. The Right-wing Freedom Party came in second with 27.4 per cent. The Centre-Left Social Democratic Party of Austria, which now governs in coalition with People’s Party, got 26.7 per cent.
Becoming head of government would be the next leap in a political career that started eight years ago when Kurz, then studying law, was elected chairman of his party’s youth branch.
Smart and articulate, he eventually caught the eye of People’s Party elders. He was appointed state secretary for integration, overseeing government efforts to make immigrants into Austrians, in 2011.
After a Social Democratic People’s Party coalition was formed four years ago, Kurz, then 27, became Austria’s foreign minister – the youngest top diplomat in Europe.
He hosted several rounds of talks between Iran and six other countries on Tehran’s nuclear programme, meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, United States Secretary of State John Kerry and other powerbrokers. Other international events further boosted his visibility and party influence.
When a new wave of migrants and refugees seeking to relocate to Europe became a continent-wide concern in 2015, Kurz recognised Austrian voters’ anxiety over unchecked immigration involving large numbers of Muslim newcomers.
He called for tougher external border controls, better integration and stringent control of ‘‘political Islam’' funded from abroad. He also organised the shutdown of the popular overland route through the West Balkans many newcomers were using to reach the EU’s prosperous heartland.