Austria Must Keep the Populists Out of Government
Sebastian Kurz should resist the temptation to ally with right-wingers after the snap election.
Not worth it.
Photographer: Alex Halada/AFP/Getty Images
Sebastian Kurz is a wunderkind of European politics. At 33, he is already a former chancellor of Austria — and could well be the next one, too. He now has a choice to make, one that will be watched across the European Union.
Kurz’s center-right Austrian People’s Party looks set to win a strong plurality, but not a majority, in Sunday’s elections. To regain power, he’ll thus be tempted to renew an unsavory coalition with the populist Freedom Party on the far right. That would be a grave mistake and a terrible signal to Austria and the broader EU. Any other outcome, no matter how messy, is preferable.