Political career of Europe's youngest Prime Minister

Although not a political descendant, Sebastian Kurz became an "earthquake" across Europe when he was elected Austrian Chancellor at the age of 31.

» New Austrian Prime Minister does not have a university degree

Sebastian Kurz sits in a Humvee during the election campaign for the People's Party in 2010. Photo: Flicker.

In 2010, 24-year-old politician Sebastian Kurz rode through the streets of Vienna, Austria, in a Humvee, handing out condoms and urging voters to vote for the People's Party. That year, the center-right party lost badly, but the young manKurz has made his mark on the public.

7 years after that impressive "debut",Kurz officially becomes the world's youngest leader after the People's Party declared victoryin the Austrian general election on the night of October 15. More importantly, the rise of this young politician signals that the Austrian public tide is leaning to the right, according to Foreign Policy..

'Child prodigy'

Despite his rapid rise in politics, Kurz is not a political descendant. According to German newspapersDer Spiegel, the new Austrian chancellor, was born on August 27, 1986, in the working-class district of Meidling in Vienna, famous for its tanning salons and Turkish fast food restaurants. Kurz's mother was a teacher and his father was an engineer with no stable job.

Kurz graduated from high school in 2004 and completed his military service in 2005. The young man then enrolled in the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna, but decided to drop out in 2011 to focus on his political career.

With his "baby face", this young politician is nicknamed "baby" by the Austrian public.nickname "Wonderkid" (Wonderkid).Kurz impresses voters as a bold politician. "I say what I think,"Kurz speaks in public.

Before becoming Foreign Minister four years ago at the age of 27,Kurzwas elected as president of the youth organization ofcenter-right People's Partywith 99% of the votes in 2008,He has also served as party vice chairman since 2009. Kurz's political career continued to expand when he was elected as a member of the Vienna City Council for the 2010-2011 term.

April 2011 marked a major step forward in Kurz's political career when he was appointed head of the Integration Department of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.In the 2013 Austrian parliamentary elections, Kurz won the most direct votes from voters than any other politician.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) and Sebastian Kurz at a bilateral meeting in Vienna, Austria on October 29, 2015. Photo: Reuters.

JanuaryIn February 2013, Kurz became the youngest Foreign Minister in Austrian history, causing many people to doubt his ability and experience."It is still unknown whether the new Secretary of State will drive the car.Humveemassiveto national meetings or not", tyeahKleine Zeitung commented sarcastically in the edition published on the day Kurz took office..

However,Foreign Minister Kurz quickly made his mark with his first speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. Unlike his usual lengthy and procedural speeches, the Austrian representative attracted attention when he warned about the dangers of radical Islam. Reuters news agency described the speech as "rare at the annual meeting of world leaders".

In May 2017, Kurz was appointed leader of the People's Party after the former party leader resigned, and was officially elected party chairman with 98.7% of the votes.

Score points with tough stance on immigration

Sebastian Kurz appears with his girlfriend Susanne Thier at a campaign event. Photo: Business Insider.

Kurz has taken a hard line on immigration, vowing to tighten border controls to prevent illegal immigration into Austria. He has supported a bill that would ban mosques from accepting foreign funding and would bar Muslim women from wearing the burka in public.

"Uncle"We want Austrian-style Islam, not a religion controlled by another country," Kurz said.

The young politician also openly criticized the European Union for failing to stop the wave of immigrants, even calling on European leaders to stop the operation to rescue immigrants in the Mediterranean Sea because he believed that this action only encouraged immigrants to risk their lives to flood into Europe.

In 2016, Kurz stopped the flow of migrants into Austria after successfully convincing a number of Balkan countries to close their borders. At the time, Kurz's policies were in stark contrast to the "giant" of European politics, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

However, the move helped Kurz score points at home.Ahead of the general election, local media commented that no Austrian politician had ever been as famous as Ku.rz since the late far-right leader Jorg Haider.

Kurz's popularity has grown as Austrian voters have grown increasingly dissatisfied in recent years with the stagnant economy, declining living standards and the weakness of centrist politicians.

“Our generation is more politically right-wing than previous generations,” said Lukas Posch, a 22-year-old law student. “Sebastian Kurz didn’t seem like a politician with a big plan or ideas before, but I think over time he has matured into his role.”

"Kurz has succeeded in building his personal image as a man who brings change," said Anton Pelinka, professor of political science at Central European University in Budapest.

According to VNE