Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Saturday that he is leaving his post. But at the same time, he remains the leader of the Austrian People’s Party and a member of parliament.
The reason for this unexpected decision was the decision of the prosecutor’s office, which opened an investigation against Kurz on charges of bribery and malfeasance.
The headquarters of the Austrian People’s Party, headed by the retired chancellor, and the Ministry of Finance were searched. Investigative actions were carried out, in particular, in the offices of the official representative of Kurz Johannes Frishman, the media commissioner Gerald Fleischman and adviser Stefan Steiner.
An investigation is underway against Kurz himself, nine more people and three organizations, the supervisory authority said. According to the Austrian newspapers Die Presse and Kurier, people from the Chancellor’s entourage were suspected of bribing the Österreich newspaper to publish polls with positive reviews about the Austrian People’s Party.
According to the investigation, the abuses were committed from 2016 to 2018. The country’s finance ministry used budget funds to fund advertisements in the publication in exchange for posting materials there. In fact, Kurz is accused of rigging the elections that brought him to power.
Sebastian Kurtz himself categorically denied all charges. “I am convinced that these accusations will turn out to be false,” the politician said, noting that the text messages that prosecutors use as evidence of his guilt were taken out of context. Speaking about his resignation on October 9, he said: “My country is more important to me than myself. We need stable conditions now. Therefore, I would like to make room for a way out of the impasse. “
Non-accidental “hitting”
As commentators note, this “run over” of the Austrian Themis on the chancellor is not accidental. His views have long irritated Brussels, especially Germany. Brussels has repeatedly called on the Austrian leader for tolerance, but Kurz bent his line – in the midst of the migration crisis, he tightened control on the border with Italy and himself admitted that this is a violation of the “Schengen principle” of freedom of movement. Kurz also criticized the behavior of Muslim migrants who refuse to learn European languages, wear secular clothes and integrate into the culture.
He banned funding for Austrian mosques from abroad. Tightened control over Islamic schools and kindergartens. And at the end of August, Kurz announced that Austria would not accept refugees from Afghanistan. According to the politician, now more than 40 thousand Afghans live in the country.
But the globalists were especially irritated by the fact that Kurz did not share the views on the unity of common European values, supported the position of Poland and Hungary, advocating the priority of national legislation over European one. For this he was even nicknamed the “Eastern Chancellor”.
Special attitude towards Russia
And besides, Kurz in Europe has long been known for his special attitude towards Russia, which differs from the zoological Russophobia prevailing now on the old continent. Immediately after his election as Chancellor, he made his first visit outside the EU to Moscow. He repeatedly spoke about the need to strengthen relations with Russia, supported the construction of Nord Stream 2, said that his country intends to help ease and gradually lift anti-Russian sanctions. He called for abandoning bloc thinking dating back to the times of the Cold War.
According to Kurz, a transition from a “punishment system” to a “reward system” is necessary in relations with Russia.
Even before becoming chancellor, as foreign minister, Kurz visited first Belarus and then Russia on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, came to Moscow when Austria headed the OSCE. Kurz’s position as chancellor has always been unambiguous: peace in Europe cannot be achieved without Russia, but only together with it.
The first blow to Sebastian Kurtz was delivered back in 2018. The Austrian special services detained the then retired colonel, who allegedly worked for Russian intelligence for 20 years. The prosecutor’s office opened a case against the 70-year-old retired, who, since the late 1990s, allegedly transmitted information about the migration crisis, Austrian military aviation and artillery systems to Russian military intelligence. Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl canceled an official visit to Russia as a result of the outbreak of a scandal, but Kurz himself then managed to sit in his chair.
As the head of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs Fyodor Lukyanov noted in this regard, many European states and the United States are unhappy with Austria’s independent foreign policy, in particular close contacts with Russia. He recalled that Putin’s trip to a wedding to the Austrian Foreign Minister, Kurz’s visit to the Hermitage, the chancellor’s communication with Putin, undertaken in due time caused great irritation in the United States and its European allies.
Method of eliminating unwanted
Therefore, it seems that now the “assault” of the judiciary, already familiar for “democratic” Europe, has been used against the obstinate “Eastern Chancellor”.
In the same way, other politicians in Europe have already been attacked more than once, who tried to pursue an independent policy, dared to contradict the shouts from Brussels and were sympathetic to Russia.
Lawsuits have been repeatedly initiated, for example, in Italy, against influential politicians such as Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini, who traveled to Moscow and met with Putin. And in France, as a result of provoked scandals, such influential figures as Domenique Strauss-Kahn and François Fillon, who had intended to apply for the presidency, were removed from the political arena.
Commenting on Kurz’s departure from the post of chancellor, political scientist Vladimir Shapovalov noted in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper that, in his opinion, Kurz will no longer be able to revive his political career, because he is discredited as a politician. The political scientist recalled the previous corruption scandal in Austria, when the Austrian Freedom Party was under attack, and pointed out their commonality.
“Both parties are right-wing (the Freedom Party and the People’s Party, led by Kurz), one is center-right, the other is more right-wing. Both parties were sympathetic to Russia. Sebastian Kurz was also known for his desire to normalize relations with Russia”, Shapovalov recalled, predicting the loss of power by Kurz’s party and the arrival of a liberal coalition, which will be guided by the values of Washington.
Well-known journalist Alexander Sosnovsky living in Germany also expressed a version that European politicians loyal to our country are being removed. And he even named those who will be the next of the European leaders in line to resign. The politicians who are pursuing a course of rapprochement with Russia are being removed.
“Today is Sebastian Kurtz”, – said Sosnovsky.
Yesterday [Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate for the post of Federal Chancellor of Germany Armin] Laschet in Germany, recently [President Milos] Zeman in the Czech Republic. Next in line is [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban. Then it was [French President Emmanuel] Macron’s turn”.
Time will tell what will happen in Austria after the Chancellor’s resignation. However, apparently, Sebastian Kurz himself is not going to give up. He remains the head of the Austrian People’s Party and will continue the political struggle. He is young, full of energy and has many supporters.
Nikolay Petrov, Centenary