Profile of Sebastian Kurz.
Rising political star Sebastian Kurz is using his position as foreign minister as a springboard in a bid to become chancellor after the October 15 general election. The 31-year-old Kurz has reinvented the Austrian People’s Party (OeVP), a leading political force since 1945 and junior partner in a coalition led by Chancellor Christian Kern’s Social Democrats (SPOe), to create a challenge to the status quo.
A Kurz-led coalition would seek sweeping changes, cutting taxes and cracking down on welfare abuse to increase individual initiative.
If Kurz fails, the OeVP will plunge into chaos and internal disputes.
Kurz could become a victim of his own success and prompt rival parties to come together despite their differences, in an effort to stop him.
