Austria votes in world’s youngest leader – aged an astonishing 31 – in lurch to Right
AUSTRIA last night lurched to the Right as it voted in a 31-yearold ‘ wunderkind’ who has pledged to tackle his country’s immigration woes.
Sebastian Kurz is set to become the world’s youngest leader after his People’s Party polled 31 per cent of the vote on the back of a manifesto promising to get tougher on migrants and easier on tax.
But Mr Kurz will still need the backing of the anti-immigration Freedom Party – once led by a Nazi-praising ultranationalist – after missing out on an overall majority.
He last night told cheering supporters: ‘ Today we have won a huge mandate to change this country, and I promise you I will work with all my energy for change. We want to establish a new culture in politics. And we want to change the country for the better.’
Former foreign minister Mr Kurz’s success is yet another challenge to the EU, which has had to contend with rising nationalism in Germany, Hungary and Poland.
While the second-placed Social Democrats polled 26.6 per cent of the vote, the Eurosceptic FPO – once led by Nazi- sympathiser Joerg Haider – came a strong third with 26.5 per cent.
Freedom Party leader HeinzChristian Strache last night looked set to emerge as kingmaker in coalition talks. His party was founded by ex-Nazis in the 1950s and is highly critical of Brussels. It wants EU sanctions on Russia lifted. Now it looks set to help Mr Kurz – nicknamed ‘Wunderwuzzi’ – secure the mandate he needs to pursue a series of hardline antiimmigrant policies.
In the past he supported a burka ban, pledged to close Islamic schools and reduce welfare payments for migrants.
And in a snub to Brussels he said the EU should have less say in the running of Austria.
Mr Kurz recently said the EU’s refugee policy ‘caused Brexit’ and that he understands ‘why President Trump wants to build a wall’ between the USA and Mexico. The poll that led to his victory was called a year early after the former ruling coalition government of the Social Democrats and the People’s Party broke down.
Vienna-born Mr Kurz – who was yesterday pictured with civil service girlfriend Susanne Thier – served as foreign minister in that government after being appointed at just 27.
He was instrumental in closing down the Balkan route into Europe used by Middle Eastern refugees.
Austria has had almost 150,000 asylum claims since 2015, making the wealthy Alpine country of 8.75 million one of Europe’s highest recipients of migrants per person.
In December, the FPO almost won the presidency and topped opinion polls in the midst of Europe’s migrant crisis.
But since taking over his party in May and re-branding it as his personal ‘movement’, conservative Kurz has stolen some of FPO leader Strache’s thunder by talking tough on immigration and criticising the EU.
Mr Strache – whose party was leading in the polls until Mr Kurz’s rise – said: ‘This is a huge success. It shows a desire for change.’ Teacher’s son Mr Kurz was brought up in the Vienna district of Meidling, where he still lives.
After graduating from law school in 2004 he completed military service and later became chairman of the People’s Party youth wing.
When aged just 24 he was appointed to the newly- created post of minister for integration, becoming Vienna’s youngestever government servant in the process.
He later became the central European nation’s youngest foreign secretary in 2013.