Austria's Kurz reelected to lead conservative People's Party
Austria’s conservative People’s Party has voted overwhelmingly to reelect Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as its leader at a party gathering
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Austria’s conservative People’s Party, or OVP, voted overwhelmingly Saturday to reelect Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as its leader at a party gathering.
Kurz, 35, received the backing of 533 of 536 delegates, or 99.4%. He has led the party since 2017, and became the country’s youngest-ever chancellor later that year.
Addressing colleagues before the vote in St. Polten, Kurz spoke about a range of topics and policy priorities. He stressed the need to continue the country’s coronavirus vaccination campaign, and with regard to refugees from Afghanistan said that Austria “shouldn't take in more people than we can integrate.”
Saturday's vote was a sign of the OVP’s confidence in Kurz, who has had a few difficult months politically. In May, he was put under investigation by anti-corruption authorities on suspicion that he made false statements to a parliamentary commission.
The hearings in question were to investigate the Ibiza affair, a scandal involving the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) leader Heinz-Christian Strache that triggered the collapse of Kurz’s previous governing coalition in 2019. Kurz has denied the allegations and resisted calls for his resignation.
He alluded to the situation in his speech, saying it had shown him the “dark side” of politics and admitting that there were days where he “questioned everything.” Still, he added, he has grown in response.
“The experience has actually made me even more resilient,” he said Saturday. “It has made me stronger, and it has made me more determined.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.