Ex-Federal Chancellor
Twitter glitch: Wrong tweet from Sebastian Kurz causes confusion
Ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in the Austrian Parliament
© Hans Punz / APA / DPA
Sebastian Kurz is no longer Chancellor of Austria – and yet a tweet briefly appeared on his Twitter account claiming this. The cause was probably an oversight in the press department.
On Saturday evening Sebastian Kurz announced his resignation as Chancellor of Austria after ongoing corruption allegations, and on Monday he was officially removed from office by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. Three more days later, however, a tweet from Kurz caused astonishment: There he continued to pretend to be Federal Chancellor.
“My first trip as Federal Chancellor deliberately takes me to Brussels today,” it said. Apparently, the tweet was aimed at the foreign minister and new Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg’s trip abroad, and Kurz’s successor was also shown in the accompanying photo. In Brussels he wants to meet the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and EU Council President Charles Michel. The tweet on Kurz’s account had to be an accident.
Probably an oversight on the social media team
Therefore, the tweet disappeared again after about half a minute, reported Twitter users. Of course, some users still captured the faux pas with a screenshot. The post can now also be seen on the right channel: the Schallenberg account.
But how could the mistake come about? There was initially no official explanation for this. It is very likely, however, that the mistake happened in the social media team of the ÖVP or in the Federal Chancellery. It is common that politicians’ social media channels are at least partially managed by employees. Here someone from the team may have swapped Sebastian Kurz and Alexander Schallenberg’s accounts – a mistake that can happen quickly.
The faux pas caused amusement among Twitter users and a few sayings about Kurz, who was already badly politically affected. However, some also took the opportunity to point out that the new beginning in the Austrian government, which was overdue from their point of view, had not materialized. The swapped tweet also shows that “exactly the same team is still at work,” wrote a journalist. Others saw the small mistake as a symbol that with Schallenberg the politics of Kurz will be continued: “If it says Schallenberg, there is short in it.”
Public prosecutor’s office is investigating Sebastian Kurz
There are two investigations underway against the former head of government Kurz. On the one hand, the public prosecutor is investigating the suspicion of a false testimony in the Ibiza investigation committee, which investigated corruption in the public sector. On the other hand, the investigators are investigating the suspicion that Kurz and his leadership circle bought positive media reports and embellished surveys with tax money. A total of ten people are investigated on suspicion of infidelity, bribery and corruption. After raids in the Chancellery and the ÖVP headquarters, Kurz announced his resignation as Federal Chancellor. However, he continues to sit in parliament as a conservative group leader and thus enjoys immunity. The new Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg is considered to be a close confidante of Kurz.
Sources: Sebastian Kurz on Twitter / Alexander Schallenberg on Twitter / DPA