Five days after his resignation as Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz is to be sworn in as a member of the National Council this Thursday. Because the 35-year-old will take over the post of party and parliamentary group chairman of the conservative ÖVP, critics accuse him of wanting to continue to steer the political fortunes of the country as “shadow chancellor”. Kurz now comments on the allegations in a Facebook video.
The past few days have been an emotional roller coaster ride for many in the country. “Disappointment, resignation, anger – these are all feelings that I can understand very well because – to be honest – it felt the same for me,” says Kurz in the video. Now it is a matter of Austria getting a “stable government that can work for our country”. That is exactly why he took a step aside last weekend and proposed Alexander Schallenberg as the new Federal Chancellor. “One thing is clear, I am not a shadow chancellor.” As federal party chairman and club chairman, he will give Alexander Schallenberg the best possible support so that everything that has been set out in the government program can also be implemented, emphasized Kurz.
In the video, the former chancellor also comments on the allegations that are being made against him and which he continues to deny. The public prosecutor’s office is investigating Kurz and some of his closest confidants on suspicion of corruption. In the past week there were several raids in the finance ministry and the party headquarters of the ÖVP. In the order for the house searches there are numerous chats between Kurz and close confidants, such as the former Secretary General in the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid, which put a heavy burden on those involved.
Briefly called ex-ÖVP Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner an “ass”
Kurz and his team are said to have misappropriated tax funds for the rise of the ÖVP’s top politician, embellished surveys and bought positive media reports. Actually, on Tuesday, a motion of no confidence was supposed to get Kurz out of office as Chancellor. He had anticipated this and announced his resignation on Saturday. At the weekend, Kurz’s embarrassing chats from his time as Foreign Minister and Federal Chancellor of the then turquoise-blue government became public. In it, Kurz called the former ÖVP Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner an “ass”.
In the now published Facebook video, the former Austrian Chancellor says: “There are numerous SMS messages in circulation that I have never written myself.” He wanted to comment on the news he wrote: “I absolutely understand that there are special expectations of the Chancellor when it comes to the choice of words.” But just as he doesn’t walk around in a suit at home, he’s not just a politician, but just a person. “I’m not a robot, but a person with mistakes, with emotions and – yes, unfortunately sometimes also – with formulations that I would not use in public.”
He had already apologized for these formulations and he regretted them. The chat messages that became known last had nothing to do with the criminally relevant allegations against him, they were only played out publicly in order to harm him and his party. Much that doesn’t belong together is currently being mixed up. Regarding the criminally relevant allegations against him, he says: “In my entire life I have not been criminally guilty of anything.”
With the move to parliament, Kurz now initially enjoys immunity. However, at the request of the public prosecutor’s office, the National Council can decide whether a member of the judiciary will be extradited. On top of that, Kurz has announced that he wants to forego immunity.