Kurz ‘political departure: the end of the “miracle puzzle”

At just 35 years of age, he is the old Austrian chancellor and now wants to dedicate himself to his family and possibly a new “top job” in business. Kurz used his departure to become political again.

“I’m going to leave now and pick up my son and my girlfriend from the hospital,” says Sebastian Kurz, 35, and leaves with a friendly smile. A happy, relieved man in his mid-thirties who, after ten “instructive years”, is saying goodbye to a new phase of life. And briefly triggers a political earthquake beforehand in Austria. That too: smiling friendly.

Austria’s former Chancellor Kurz is giving up all of his remaining political offices. That of the party leader of the Austrian People’s Party, the ÖVP – and that of the faction leader of his party in parliament, which he has never really accepted in the 54 days since his resignation as Austrian Chancellor.

This is the end of one of the most astonishing political careers in the Alpine republic. No more whispering about a possible “comeback” of the “Wunderwuzzis” – a nickname of the political high-flyer Sebastian Kurz.

It was probably not just talent

At 35 “old” chancellor, after ten years in politics, previously as foreign minister and of course party chairman of the ÖVP, the word “exceptional talent” was often next to the name “short”. The Economic and Corruption Public Prosecutor’s Office (WKSta) in Vienna is currently investigating whether it was certainly talent, but not only. The allegations, against the “Team Kurz”, but also against Kurz himself and some other accused: infidelity, bribery, corruption – or at least incitement to do so, which is hardly less serious in legal terms in Austria.

Kurz and his “Praetorians”, as they called themselves, had apparently switched on the booster on their way to the top, and they are said to have bought positive coverage through taxpayed advertisements in tabloids and free newspapers, including tax-financed and manipulated surveys per Kurz.

Sebastian Kurz’s last political appearance is a kind of final government declaration. He wants to refer again to his policy, which was hardly discussed recently for the bad reasons mentioned. He refers to political rough edges, for which he stood: work must be worthwhile again, migration must not remain uncontrolled, Austria as a business location has always been important to him.

“I am neither a saint nor a criminal”

He was allowed to learn a lot, the office of the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria has an extreme breadth of content, said Kurz. There was a lot to be decided every day – and: yes, he also made mistakes: “I am neither a saint nor a criminal.”

The investigation, which is based on more than 300,000 chats from the confiscated smartphone of his closest “Praetorian”, is the reason for his resignation, first as Chancellor, and for leaving politics. Even if Kurz says that he is personally looking forward to the day in court when he can prove that the allegations against himself are “simply wrong”.

He adds himself: “even if it takes years” and also conceals in the exit that many, even in his party, no longer considered him acceptable. Even if nothing gets stuck under criminal law in the end, the presumption of innocence applies. But calling party friends “ass” in the chat and torpedoing social projects of one’s own party leadership on the way to power with questions like “Which federal state can I incite” made even an exceptional talent like Kurz unsustainable for the highest state offices.

Many thanks in parting

Austria is small, you always meet more than twice, one hand washes the other. Rumors are now of a “top job” for Kurz in business. So better – and somehow Austrian too – not look back in anger. At the end of the day he thanked many, the Federal President Alexander van der Bellen, who accompanied the “Buberl” – Austrian nickname for the “Team Kurz” – in a dignified and critical manner. He thanked his coalition partner, the Greens, who considered him to be “no longer fit for office” as Chancellor – and above all he thanked his ÖVP, who had “always supported” him.

But in Austria it is like everywhere else. Whoever promises success is carried. In the past few days, the opposition SPÖ has narrowly overtaken the ÖVP for the first time, at least in the polls. Many partisans of the once black ÖVP, which Kurz and his team had repainted in turquoise, did not agree with the “moral image”, according to Austria’s Federal President, which the government had given up under Kurz. A tour at the base that started just a few weeks ago was not very constructive.

And then: the child. That showed him how many “beautiful and important” things exist outside of politics. And Sebastian Kurz is going there now – and says goodbye: It was “the honor of my life” to have served the Republic of Austria.