It was his first statement as Chancellor – and his oath of loyalty to Sebastian Kurz could not have been clearer!
Alexander Schallenberg (52) emphasized that he would work “very closely” with Kurz (35) and said that the allegations against Kurz were “wrong” from his point of view.
More loyalty is not possible!
Schallenberg and Kurz have known each other for almost ten years. Kurz made him his most important employee in the Foreign Office, he followed him into the Chancellery – and became Foreign Minister after the Ibiza affair.
Kurz has repeatedly raved about Schallenberg in the past, he is considered “a thousand percent loyal”.
The SMS from Kurz to Schallenberg that he should take over came on Saturday night when Schallenberg was already asleep.
On Friday night he had expected short elections and new elections on Tuesday to be deselected. Then the Chancellor quake!
Former Chancellor Sebastian KurzPhoto: HERBERT NEUBAUER / AFP
Kurz has already moved out of the Chancellery and is now “governing” from the ÖVP headquarters in Lichtenfelsgasse, 800 meters away from the Chancellery. This is where the government’s true center of power is now – this was also made clear by Schallenberg’s statement.
The ex-Chancellor thanked his successor and close confidante via Twitter: “I would like to thank Alexander Schallenberg for his willingness to take on responsibility as Federal Chancellor, because this step ensures stability in the country. That was also my goal in this difficult situation of the past few days. “
Immediately after the inauguration, however, there were also direct consequences in view of the investigation into corruption and fraud. Gerald Fleischmann, media officer in the Chancellery, resigned from his position and is now on vacation.
► The allegations of the Vienna Corruption Prosecutor’s Office against Kurz according to the investigation decision (available from BILD): He wanted to improve his chances of taking over the “new” ÖVP and his election as Chancellor in the 2017 elections with a media offensive. Kurz decided with his helpers to launch and finance manipulated surveys. The Fellner media group “Austria” assumed the financing. In fact, the ÖVP promised to buy advertisements worth over one million euros in newspapers. The advertisements were paid for with tax money from the Ministry of Finance.
Alexander Schallenberg (M./ÖVP), Federal Chancellor of Austria, and Michael Linhart (l / ÖVP), new Foreign Minister of Austria at the swearing-in ceremonyPhoto: Lisa Leutner / dpa
Two days after the brief resignation, the previous Foreign Minister Schallenberg has now taken over the office. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen took the oath of office from the ÖVP politician on Monday in the Vienna Hofburg.
The office is an honor “that I never expected and never wished for,” said Schallenberg in a speech after the swearing-in ceremony. However, it was “not an option not to accept this responsibility”. The diplomat Michael Linhart, who had previously been his country’s ambassador to France, was sworn in as the new foreign minister.
Schallenberg wants to “do everything possible” with Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler to clear the trenches that have arisen. Material work should be in the foreground again, so Schallenberg. It goes without saying that he will continue to work with Kurz. And further: “Anything else would be absurd in terms of democratic politics.”
This is Alexander Schallenberg
Schallenberg – also called “Schalli” by his followers – is one of the closest circles to his predecessor, Kurz. It connects a number of common substantive positions, especially in migration policy and in the attitude towards Turkey.
Schallenberg, born in 1969, comes from a diplomatic family with noble roots. He is the father of four children.
▶ He began his diplomatic career in 1997.
▶ After various posts abroad, including in Brussels, the law graduate first became Foreign Minister in 2019.
Experts attest Schallenberg extensive experience in international politics. The newly appointed chancellor speaks five foreign languages.
Schallenberg also has skills in communication with the media, says political scientist Patrick Moreau.
According to Moreau, however, Schallenberg’s lack of domestic political experience should mean that he must continue to rely on the consultations from the environment of his predecessor Kurz.