Austrian election could herald radical change

Subject

Profile of Sebastian Kurz.

Significance

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.

Impacts

• 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.