In the podcast “Inside Austria”, SPIEGEL and “Der Standard” jointly examine the network that made Sebastian Kurz great: how the Austrian first took over his party and then the whole country.
The second podcast episode is about his surprising career as foreign minister.
At the beginning of his term of office, Christoph Schult, the then Brussels correspondent for SPIEGEL, experienced a cautious Sebastian Kurz, who spoke smoothly, but was still not offensive.
That changed drastically towards the end of 2015, when the refugee crisis determined foreign policy.
Kurz shows toughness, takes on populist tones and takes on some neighboring states.
His commitment pays off domestically.
Kurz has found his topic and is even targeting the chancellorship.
You can hear how that was even possible in this podcast episode.
What is happening in Austria is tantamount to a state affair: searches of the Austrian Chancellery, the federal headquarters of the ÖVP Chancellor Party, the Ministry of Finance and one of the country's most important publishing houses.
There has not been a comparable blow against the executive in Austria since the end of the Second World War.
The investigation is not only against Sebastian Kurz, but also against nine other accused, among other things because of suspicion of infidelity and aiding and abetting bribery.
You can also find an overview of all current developments and new revelations in the Kurz affair in our new newsletter “Inside Austria”.
