Austrian Political Crisis Sparks Talk of Kurz Comeback

After the Freedom Party’s (fpö) victory in Austria’s national elections in September, the mainstream parties are seeking to form the nation’s first three-party coalition to keep the far right out of power. In Sunday’s state election in Styria, the fpö beat the governing Austrian People’s Party (övp) in a landslide. The defeat heightens speculations of a comeback by Austria’s former chancellor, Sebastian Kurz.

Exxpress.at commented on November 26:

The regional elections in Styria bring the next major setback for the övp. While the pressure on Karl Nehammer increases, Sebastian Kurz is increasingly being cited as the last hope of the People’s Party.

The government crisis: The former chancellor has been increasingly featured in tv debates, interviews, on social media and in headlines. Some speculate that if coalition negotiations fail, Kurz will make a comeback. As chancellor, Kurz was extremely popular and entered a coalition with the fpö.

Response to Trump: Kurz is seen as an expert on United States President-elect Donald Trump, whom he met while in office. In an interview with Krone, Kurz noted that he is in “regular contact with his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.”

Why watch Kurz? Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry outlined various reason to watch Sebastian Kurz in “The Holy Roman Empire Goes Public—Big Time!”