|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Sebastian Kurz: From political wunderkind to rogue operator
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Candidate
|
| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Apr 08, 2021 10:23pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | General |
| Author | Matthew Karnitschnig |
| News Date | Thursday, April 8, 2021 04:35:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Sebastian Kurz, a political wunderkind who became Austria’s leader at just 31, rose to power by cultivating a youthful, do-gooder image that endeared him to young and old alike.
And then he went rogue.
A cache of private text messages between the center-right chancellor and his deputies and other correspondence uncovered by Austrian authorities as part of a sweeping investigation into political corruption portrays Kurz not as the well-mannered “favorite son-in-law of the nation” who captured the heart of his compatriots and much of the EU, but rather as a shrewd behind-the-scenes operator willing to do whatever it takes to push through his agenda, whether dealing with the Catholic Church, doling out political favors or taking on rivals.
Kurz’s metamorphosis might sound like a familiar coming-of-age political tale, but at a time when much of Central Europe has slipped into a form of soft authoritarianism, his transformation and the larger corruption scandal engulfing Austria’s political class suggest that the erosion of democratic norms in the region threatens to spread into Western Europe. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
