After the political earthquake that shook Austria at the beginning of October, it has become quiet around Sebastian Kurz. The investigations are in full swing. A reconstruction of recent events.
If you look at Austria these days, the coronavirus dominates – as almost everywhere. It wasn’t that long ago that the country faced a completely different crisis. On October 9th, then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced his step aside. The current former chancellor and incumbent club chairman of the Austrian People’s Party had come under pressure from chats that gave a deep look behind the slick scenes of Viennese politics. He and ten other accused are accused of bribery, corruption and corruption. In 2016/17, Kurz, who was still the Austrian Foreign Minister at the time, is said to have bought embellished surveys and thus manipulated the reporting. The story sparked a lot of media coverage as an “advertising affair”. In addition, Kurz is said to have cleared his competitor and party colleague Reinhold Mitterlehner out of the way during the election campaign.
Austria is currently plagued by the coronavirus, with a short-term lockdown, the government wants to get the pandemic under control again. From a political point of view, something else is at stake at the moment, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned in the course of the advertising and survey affair on October 9th, against him and his party there are several allegations in the room, he is said to be close to major donors and his party have twice exceeded the upper election campaign cost limit of seven million euros per electoral cup and party. Then there was one or the other ad and the ÖVP flipped a fine for the election campaign budget. In comparison, the advertising affair around Sebastian Kurz weighs heavily.
Said to have bought embellished surveys and thus influenced the reporting. In addition, he eliminated competitors within the party and thus worked his way up to the political top in the country.
An expert opinion should smooth the comeback of the ex-chancellor and relieve him, 17-page analysis by the criminal law professor Peter Lewisch, sees “no concrete suspicion” for Sebastian Kurz, Lewisch turns in the paper against the investigative work of the public prosecutor’s office (WKStA ) by, for example, accusing the investigators of “free-hand speculation” and an “unbearable distortion of the facts”. The defender’s conclusion: There is “no concrete suspicion” against the former chancellor and current club chairman Sebastian Kurz
Sebastian is resigning himself on October 9, 2021, had previously refused and denies allegations of corruption, bribery and bribery
Is Sebastian Kurz already working on his comeback?
The presumption of innocence applies to all accused persons, Sebastian Kurz because of the advertising affair (2016/17), proximity to major donors and exceeding the upper limit for election campaign costs
Scholtwilhelm from Standard together with Spiegel colleagues report on the case and rise of Sebastian Kurz, domestic affairs editor Fabian Schmidt from “Standard”: Exceeding the election campaign cost limit and being close to large donations is the slightest problem, gave advertisements, but no intensive investigations and election campaign costs, fines for ÖVP, advertisements – Investigations are ongoing, have led to Kurz’s resignation, it is unclear how the ten accused will express themselves, the investigators found clues on the smartphones
Sebastian Kurz’s team is said to have bought embellished surveys and thus influenced media coverage
Resignation was not voluntary, but at the insistence of the green coalition partner, initially wanted to remain chancellor, justified Rücktrtt with the coalition partner’s demand, has rejected allegations to this day, has not apologized, has not taken responsibility, no admission, reference to the coalition partner’s demand, spoke not even by resigning, but by stepping aside, for him obviously just a complete withdrawal from politics, instead became club and federal party leader of the ÖVP, not a resignation from politics, but a change of position, together with Alexander Schallenberg, for years a close relationship
Current surveys on Kurz and ÖVP: It can already be seen that the affair has massively damaged the ÖVP, politics editor Fabian Schmidt assumes that there will be a three-way battle between the social democrats ÖVP and FPÖ, are now of course snapshots if the numbers are similar in six months are, you have to think in the People’s Party how to modernize yourself and who to put at the top
Since Sebastian Kurz’s resignation, progress in the investigation, pollster Sabine Beinschab is said to have destroyed evidence, temporarily arrested because of the risk of blackout, has been looking for how to delete a cloud, to be released before custody, to want a crown deal and before custody Having testified for many hours what she said is not known, key witness status: no longer possible if compulsory measures were taken such as house search and arrest, key witness deal: Says everything she knows and provides the investigators with new information
Advertisement affair is not the only criminal charge, the political editor believes that “I think that there are still some things to be found that will trigger an investigation, which does not mean that there are literally corpses in the basement. But who the prosecution cares so much interested in what is going on in the turquoise-blue government, then it will not stop anytime soon and will also take a closer look at a few things. In terms of the charges, I believe that suspicion of false testimony will lead to a result in particular. It will be determined whether Sebastian Kurz has not told the investigative committee the truth about hacking and I believe the investigation is very advanced and there is a lot of evidence that there will be an indictment, so a criminal complaint. ” is about the personnel policy of the turquoise-blue government, Fage: which individual posts are filled and how, determined by coalition partners
Who does Kurz have to worry about, everyone has to worry about everyone, it was teamwork, Sabine B. was an opinion researcher who only had to do with the surveys, to report stressful things to other people from the inner circle, that would be a lot more dangerous for short
Thomas Schmidt’s cell phone logs, which have disclosed the coordination between the Kurz confidants and are now at the center of the investigation, including agreements in the advertising affair, sabotage of the regeirung 2016/17, rumors where Thomas Schmidt is in Vienna or with friends Abroad, busy trying to dispel allegations, is at the center of all investigations, a political journalist believes this is unfair because there are others who were even more decisive in the Kurz case and who disguised the plans, distorting his role, there is speculation whether he would unpack because there is so much incriminating against him in the room, but that has not yet been the case
Sebastian Kurz was relatively quiet, through social media they heard that Kurz should have traveled twice to Ireland and the USA, but the reason is not known at all, rumors that he is sounding out the job market would, however, be logical to the political journalist, and at the same time he is making efforts to to weaken the investigation, last week on Monday a background talk was organized by the ÖVP with lawyers who criticized the work of the WKASTA, the media involved are not busy attacking the judiciary “This means that Sebastian Kurz is missing an important mouthpiece and it will be difficult for this institution to continue to fight, especially if you can no longer do that from the Chancellery, but only as a club chairman. “
There may be plans to bring Kurz back, but the longing for him is probably decreasing even within the ÖVP, it doesn’t look like Kurz will return in the next few months
Sources: Podcast Inside Austria, “Der Standard”, “Die Presse”, “Der falter”
Source From: Stern

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