Sebastian Kurz

"Whizz-kid," "Basti-Fantasi" and "Messiah" are just some of the accolades used to refer to 33-year-old Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian politician who previously served as the chancellor of Austria from December 2017 to May 2019. 

He is the only child of a secretary and a teacher, and at the age of 16 he became involved in the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). Kurz often mentions his links to the countryside, on which analyst Johannes Huber noted: "It's as if he wants to say to inhabitants of rural areas that he is one of them." 

Kurz was the youngest head of government in the world at the age of 31 and his position at the top of Austrian politics means he looks likely to win a snap election on 29 September. 

A win in the polls would continue the meteoric rise that started when Kurz entered government at the age of 24 after dropping out of his studies to dedicate himself to politics. 

In May, Kurz was involved in a corruption scandal during his coalition with the far-Right Freedom Party (FPÖ), but he has managed to restore his political career and gain support, which Huber said is because of his "perfectly honed skill in rhetoric" and his appearance, which "is always impeccable."

Political Career

He was secretary for integration in 2011 and then foreign minister two years later, at the age of 27. Kurz often praises Hungary's populist prime minister Viktor Orbán, who he said closed the Balkan migrant trail in 2016. 

In an attempt to move away from traditional figures in politics, Kurz took control of the ÖVP in 2017 and rebranded it as "Liste Kurz," which centered around his image. 

He put an end to the coalition with the center-Left Social Democrats (SPÖ) and kick-started a snap election, for which he is the front runner. 

His supporters often praise his youth and dynamism – which are at the center of an official biography that has been mocked on social media. Passages from the book describe how the politician "uttered his first words at the age of 12 months," while others praise his "bravery," to which critics responded it was creating an image of "St Sebastian," the Catholic martyr.   

There has also been a backlash regarding his style of running the Right-wing party, with some saying he is a "mini dictator" who runs the ÖVP as a "one-man show." 

Previous party leader Reinhold Mitterlehner said Kurz is leading Austria towards "an authoritarian democracy" and is scapegoating refugees. 

Parallels are often drawn with French President Emmanuel Macron, but others see greater similarities with Hungary's Orbán. 

Kurz's image is divisive for several reasons, including his welfare cuts for asylum seekers and anti-migrant measures but he has also created a strong pro-European image. His lack of intervention regarding racist and anti-semitic sentiment among FPÖ members has led some opposition politicians to dub him the "Silent Chancellor." Kurz also provoked outrage from the Left, when he said an anti-immigration alliance with Italy and Germany was "an axis of the willing." 

Throughout all of this, he has managed to remain popular with older voters, with a survey showing 48 percent of ÖVP voters are over 60.