Leslie Massey
Sebastian Kurz is an Austrian former politician who served twice as the Chancellor of Austria, first from 2017 to 2019 and then again from 2020 to 2021. Kurz was the chairman of the Austrian People's Party and was known for his hard-line views on immigration. He formed a coalition government with the populist and reactionary Freedom Party, bringing a far-right movement back into power. Kurz resigned as chancellor in October 2021 due to a corruption scandal and subsequently left politics to work as a global strategist.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current position in the Austrian government | None |
| Previous positions in the Austrian government | State Secretary for Integration, Foreign Minister, Federal Chancellor |
| Age | 36 |
| Political party | Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) |
| Coalition partners | Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), Green Party |
| Notable policies | Social Security Act, lockdowns and curfews during the COVID-19 pandemic, hijab ban, ban on foreign funding of Islamic organizations, closure of mosques linked to "political Islam" |
| Scandals and controversies | Ibiza affair, corruption inquiries, perjury conviction |
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What You'll Learn
Sebastian Kurz is a former Austrian politician
Kurz joined the Young People's Party (JVP) in 2003 and worked his way up to party leadership in the following years. In 2009, he was elected chairman of the Austrian JVP at a federal party convention, receiving 99% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2014 with 100% of the vote. Kurz received his first government mandate in 2011 as State Secretary responsible for socially integrating refugees. In this role, he suggested several policy changes, including a second obligatory preschool year for students with poor language skills.
Following the 2013 Austrian legislative election, Kurz became the country's foreign minister and remained in this position until 2017. During his term as foreign minister, he focused on integrating immigrants into Austrian culture and traditions and sought to promote religious freedom and democracy. Kurz became Chancellor of Austria after his party emerged victorious in the 2017 Austrian legislative election. During his tenure as Chancellor, Kurz formed a coalition government with the populist and reactionary Freedom Party, bringing a movement founded by neo-Nazis back into a position of power. He was also credited with being the youngest head of state in Europe during his tenure.
However, Kurz's chancellorship was not without controversy. He was criticised for his hard-line views on immigration and for bringing the far-right into the mainstream. In 2019, secretly recorded footage emerged of the vice-chancellor offering lucrative public contracts to the alleged niece of a Russian oligarch in exchange for campaign support. Although Kurz was not implicated in the scandal, he lost a confidence vote and called for snap elections. He returned to power in 2020 but resigned in October 2021 due to a corruption inquiry. Kurz was later charged with making false statements to a parliamentary inquiry and received an eight-month suspended sentence. In December 2021, he announced that he was leaving politics altogether and started working as a global strategist for Peter Thiel.
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He served twice as Chancellor of Austria
Sebastian Kurz is an Austrian former politician who served twice as Chancellor of Austria. His first term as Chancellor began in December 2017, after his party emerged victorious in the 2017 Austrian legislative election. Kurz's first chancellorship ended in May 2019, after a scandal involving his coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), and a subsequent snap election.
During his first term, Kurz pursued a hard-line stance on immigration and the integration of immigrants, particularly those from the Muslim world. He introduced policies aimed at culturally integrating immigrants and refugees, such as "value courses" and a ban on full-body veils. Kurz also targeted Muslim-run kindergartens, claiming they spread extremism, and banned foreign funding of Islamic organisations and the hijab in kindergartens. In 2018, his government shut down several mosques linked to "political Islam". Kurz's policies were criticised for bringing the far-right into the mainstream and sanitising some of the most odious figures on the European right.
Despite the Ibiza scandal, Kurz returned to power in January 2020, forming a new coalition with the environmentalist Green Party. However, his second term was short-lived due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a corruption inquiry that led to his resignation in October 2021. During his second term, Kurz implemented lockdowns and curfews to combat the pandemic.
Kurz's rise to power began in 2003 when he joined the Young People's Party (JVP) and quickly ascended to party leadership. In 2011, he received his first government position as State Secretary for Integration, and in 2013, he became Austria's Foreign Minister. As Foreign Minister, Kurz played a key role in negotiating the closure of the EU's eastern borders to migrants and refugees during the 2015 European migrant crisis.
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Kurz was the youngest chancellor in Austrian history
Sebastian Kurz is an Austrian former politician who served twice as Chancellor of Austria, first from 2017 to 2019 and then again from 2020 to 2021. Kurz was the youngest chancellor in Austrian history, assuming the role at the age of 31. He was also the youngest head of government in the world for about four years.
Kurz joined the Young People's Party (JVP) in 2003 and worked his way up to party leadership in the following years. He received his first government position as State Secretary for Integration in 2011 due to a cabinet reshuffle. In this role, he proposed several policy changes, including a second obligatory preschool year for students with poor language skills. He also launched the joint venture Zusammen:Österreich (Together:Austria) with the Foreign Ministry, the Austrian Integration Fund, and the Education Ministry. This initiative aimed to familiarise immigrants with Austrian culture and promote values such as religious freedom and democracy.
Following the 2013 legislative election, Kurz became Austria's Foreign Minister and served in this role until 2017. During his tenure, he gained a reputation for his hard-line stance on immigration and his focus on integrating migrants. He introduced legal amendments targeting the Muslim community, such as banning foreign funding of Islamic organisations and shutting down mosques linked to "political Islam". Kurz also reached a deal with Austria's Balkan neighbours to close the EU's eastern borders to migrants and refugees.
In 2017, Kurz became the leader of the Austrian People's Party and subsequently won the legislative election, forming a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). This decision brought a party founded by neo-Nazis back into power, and Kurz was criticised for sanitising some of the most odious figures on the European right. However, he defended his choice as a democratic necessity and worked to avoid public clashes with the Freedom Party.
Kurz's first term as chancellor ended in May 2019 after a scandal involving his coalition partner, known as the Ibiza affair. He returned to power in January 2020, forming a coalition with the environmentalist Green Party. However, he resigned in October 2021 amid a corruption inquiry, ending his political career.
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He was also the youngest head of government in the world
Sebastian Kurz is an Austrian former politician who served twice as Chancellor of Austria, first from 2017 to 2019 and then again from 2020 to 2021. Kurz was the youngest chancellor in Austrian history, becoming leader at the age of 31. He was also the youngest head of government in the world for around four years.
Kurz joined the Young People's Party (JVP) in 2003 and worked his way up to party leadership. He received his first government position as State Secretary for integrating refugees in 2011. In this role, he suggested policy changes such as a second obligatory preschool year for students with poor language skills. He also launched the joint venture Zusammen:Österreich (Together:Austria), which aimed to familiarise immigrants with Austrian culture and traditions.
In 2013, Kurz became Austria's Foreign Minister and remained its chief diplomat until 2017. During his term as Foreign Minister, Kurz reached a deal with Austria's neighbours in the Balkans to close the EU's eastern borders to migrants and refugees. He also shut down mosques linked to "political Islam" and banned foreign funding of Islamic organisations.
Kurz became Chancellor of Austria in 2017 after his party won the legislative election. He formed a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party, bringing a movement founded by neo-Nazis back into power. Kurz's government passed policies targeting the Muslim community, such as a hijab ban for kindergartens and a ban on "ideologically or religiously influenced clothing associated with the covering of the head".
Kurz resigned as chancellor in 2021 due to a corruption scandal but retained control over government affairs, earning him the nickname "shadow chancellor". Two months later, he quit politics and started working as a global strategist for Peter Thiel.
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Kurz resigned as chancellor in October 2021
Sebastian Kurz is an Austrian former politician who served twice as Chancellor of Austria. Kurz resigned as chancellor in October 2021 to defuse a political crisis. An investigation into the Ibiza affair by a parliamentary subcommittee, an unstable Cabinet plagued by resignations, and ultimately a corruption inquiry, forced Kurz to step down.
Kurz's resignation came just days after he was compared to Frank Underwood, a fictional character from the TV show House of Cards, for being a ruthless and cunning mastermind in a deep state faction named "Die Familie". This comparison was drawn following a corruption raid that exposed the network. Kurz was accused of trying to secure his rise to the leadership of his party and the country with the help of manipulated polls and friendly media reports financed with public money.
Kurz's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included lockdowns and curfews, was also scrutinized. Additionally, Kurz's views on immigration and his hard-line stance were controversial. He was known for his tough position on migrants from the Muslim world, calling for imams to deliver their sermons in German and banning foreign funding of Islamic organizations. He also shut down mosques linked to "political Islam".
Kurz's resignation as chancellor in October 2021 marked the end of his second term as the youngest head of government in the world. He had first served as chancellor from December 2017 to May 2019 and then again from January 2020 until his resignation. Kurz's rise to power was rapid, having joined the Young People's Party (JVP) in 2003 and working his way up the ranks. He became Austria's Foreign Minister in 2013 and remained in that role until he became chancellor in 2017.
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Frequently asked questions
Sebastian Kurz is not currently part of the Austrian government. He resigned as chancellor in October 2021 and quit politics entirely in December 2021.
Kurz's first government position was State Secretary for Integration, which he took on in 2011 after a cabinet reshuffle.
Yes, Kurz was chairman of the Austrian JVP from 2009 to 2014, and he has been chairman of the Austrian People's Party since 2017.
