Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted in no-confidence vote

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. Photo / AP file

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was ousted by Parliament in a no-confidence vote today following a scandal that had already brought down his coalition government.

The 32-year-old Kurz, who came to power in 2017 as the world's youngest elected leader, was removed from office in a vote that saw both the opposition Social Democrats and his onetime partner - the far-right Freedom Party - turn against him.

Kurz was the first Austrian leader to be ousted via a no-confidence vote in the country's post-war history. But the conservative's exile from the nation's most powerful office may be temporary; he had already announced elections slated for September, and polls show that his party enjoys a commanding lead.

In European Parliamentary elections yesterday, his People's Party won a resounding victory, suggesting voters don't hold him responsible for the controversy that befell the Freedom Party.

The far-right saw its support shrink in the balloting, with the Freedom Party falling to a distant third place.

Kurz has led one of the European Union's smaller members - Austria's population is just under 9 million - but he has played an outsize role in the continent's politics during his brief run in power since elections vaulted him to the top job in late 2017.

Derided by critics as "Trump in a slim-fit suit," the young politician had won fans by reinvigorating his once-stodgy party and adopting many of the ideas, policies and slogans of the far-right.

Kurz took a hard line on immigration, advocating tougher policies aimed at halting the flow of asylum seekers into Europe. He also aggressively fought culture wars, pushing through a ban on Islamic headscarves in primary schools.

But unlike the continent's populist politicians, Kurz generally avoided inflammatory rhetoric and presented himself as a modern conservative who, while clearly to the right of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is still rooted in the European mainstream.

After the 2017 elections, Kurz opted for a coalition with the Freedom Party rather than another of the "grand coalitions" between centrist parties that have dominated Austria's postwar era.

That government collapsed this month after a video emerged of Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache appearing to dangle lucrative state contracts before a mysterious Russian woman who had identified herself as an oligarch's niece.

The scandal - known as "Ibiza-gate" for the Spanish island where the recording was filmed - highlighted the close relationship between the Freedom Party and Russia.

It also presented an unflattering personal portrait of Strache, who flirted with the woman and boasted of his dream to turn Austria's news market into one akin to Hungary's. Austria's neighbour is dominated by pro-government outlets owned by friends and associates of the autocratic Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.

It is still not clear who made the video. Its existence was first reported by German outlets Der Spiegel and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Strache resigned after the video's emergence. Kurz then attempted to fire the interior minister, a Freedom Party member, and the other far-right ministers resigned in protest.

The Social Democrats spearheaded today's no-confidence vote, arguing that Kurz should be held accountable for his poor judgment in choosing to align with the far right. Before the vote, Kurz had accused his critics of engaging in "a game of revenge," while noting in reference to the upcoming election that, "at the end of the day the people will decide".

Austria's president must now choose an interim chancellor and administration until a new government can be formed after the September vote.