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Alexander Schallenberg, designated Austrian Federal Chancellor
Photo:
LISI NIESNER / REUTERS
It is a clap of thunder.
But no system change.
The career diplomat Alexander Schallenberg succeeds Sebastian Kurz in the position of Austrian Federal Chancellor.
Schallenberg, 52 years old, descendant of an ancient noble family from the Upper Austrian Mühlviertel, is now supposed to lead the government. Because Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced his resignation on Saturday evening because of massive corruption allegations. The decision, made in the smallest circle, was made on Friday evening, according to information from the Chancellor's environment. Kurz is accused of not only tolerating, but also promoting, a system of "fudged" opinion polls, bought advertisements and pleasant reporting.
The presumption of innocence naturally applies to the Austrian chancellor, as to all co-accused.
Kurz, 35 years old, who is either celebrated as a “child prodigy” (“New York Times”) or Viennese “Wunderwuzzi”, is now taking a break.
He says he wants to head the strongest group in parliament in the future.
However, it is difficult to imagine how the self-confident, sometimes almost success-drunk young man, as parliamentary group leader of the Christian-conservative ÖVP, will represent the majority parliamentary group in parliament in the future.
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Kurz 'Chancellor candidate Schallenberg: Loyalty to the line By Hans Rauscher, »Der Standard«
It will now be up to Schallenberg to avoid the impression that he is a mere placeholder on Vienna's Ballhausplatz. The ex-chancellor's follower, who was as cosmopolitan as he was loyal to the line, was woken up on Saturday night at around 3 a.m. with the question of whether he dared to control the nine-million-inhabitant republic of Austria overnight. Schallenberg said succinctly: Yes.
Did ex-Chancellor Kurz only temporarily "flee to parliamentary immunity" in order to avoid criminal investigations in the meantime, as Herbert Kickl, head of the opposition FPÖ, alleged? In any case, it is clear that Sebastian Kurz's breathtaking career came to an abrupt end. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal evaluation of his chats, in which he exchanges ideas with confidants about fillets of the republic.
The surprise new Chancellor Schallenberg now faces various challenges: He has to make sure that he is not just a placeholder for the prosecuted Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz; he has to give the Greens, who are notoriously critical of corruption, the impression that everything would finally get better with him; and he must do everything in his power to ensure that Austria is no longer ranked among the insecure cantonists among the EU members.
The tactical step of sending the loyal miner Schallenberg to the Chancellery could prove to be a mistake for Kurz.
The opposition will see the former foreign minister as a cardboard comrade, the green coalition partners will understand and hostile him as the governor.
If Sebastian Kurz has not yet given up the fight for the favor of the Austrian voters, he will have to step into the ring again himself.
It is to be expected of him.
