“Yes, of course,” answered Kurz in an interview with “Bild live” when asked whether a defendant could be Federal Chancellor. After all, there was “never anything wrong” with such accusations and they “all turned out to be wrong,” argued Kurz. He knows what he has done and what he has not done. “I definitely always prematurely told the truth,” the VP chief affirmed his line of defense. When asked whether he would still be chancellor at the age of 40, the soon-to-be 35-year-old said: “I am currently very much at home in politics. I believe that I can make a contribution.”
Private life remains private
The father-to-be was reluctant to answer questions about his private life. He is “looking forward” to the birth of his child, but he wants to keep his private life private. His girlfriend’s pregnancy was announced because it was already “visible”. “That’s about it,” said Kurz. However, he did not want to rule out the possibility of taking parental leave after the birth. “I will be happy to answer this question in good time.”
In short: “Will certainly continue to deport”
According to “Bild”, the interview was recorded on Friday in Austria. From a statement by the Chancellor, it could be concluded that it was conducted in Salzburg. Kurz should have met EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen there on Sunday on the occasion of the opening of the Salzburg Festival, but he canceled due to illness and was represented by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Karoline Edtstadler (both VP).
In the half-hour interview, the Chancellor also commented on the topics of migration, corona and climate. Confronted by von Bild, among other things, with barbaric statements by a Taliban judge about the stoning of homosexuals, Kurz stuck to his stance on the subject of migration.
“We will certainly continue to deport to Afghanistan,” he emphasized. Refugees should be taken in in neighboring countries or in other parts of the country that are not under the control of the Taliban, said Kurz, who admitted that he was “worried” about the international withdrawal of troops from the country. However, a great deal of homophobic or misogynist views are also imported from the country, said Kurz, who also mentioned the Leonie case in this context.
Personal responsibility and vaccination
On the subject of Corona, he also defended his line of relying on personal responsibility and referred to the “extreme collateral damage” caused by the restrictions of the past few months. “The vaccination is 100 times better than the lockdown,” said Kurz. At the same time he assured: “If there are problems, we will react to them immediately.” Those people who do not want to be vaccinated should “pour pure wine and say: you will get infected sooner or later,” said the Chancellor. When asked whether he would shake people’s hands again, he replied in the affirmative.
“Climate protection does not work by doing without”
With the rapid development of the corona vaccination, Kurz also tried to give credibility to his belief in the technology in the fight against climate change. “I am firmly convinced that mankind is capable of the incomprehensible if it wants to,” he said, referring to developments in the fields of solar cells and electromobility. Instead of letting people “freeze” in their apartments at 16 degrees in winter, one should rather rely on “better insulation”. In addition, you need the car in rural areas. “That will never be possible any other way,” said Kurz. “I do not believe that climate protection works by doing without,” the Chancellor affirmed his course.
