SEBASTIAN Kurz has been sworn in as Austria’s new chancellor, making him Europe’s youngest leader at 31.
Kurz’s Austrian People’s Party has formed a coalition with the nationalist Freedom Party, which is expected to move the country’s politics to the right.
Roughly 6000 people protested outside President Alexander Van der Bellen’s office with signs bearing messages such as “We don’t want any Nazi pigs” and “Nazis out” as Kurz and his new Cabinet were sworn in. The two parties have pledged to tighten the country’s asylum and immigration regulations while maintaining a firm commitment to the EU.
Kurz has moved his traditionally centrist party to the right, particularly on the issues of migration and Muslims, but has avoided the inflammatory rhetoric of the Freedom Party which, despite disassociating itself from decades of covert anti-Semitism, continues to attract a neo-Nazi fringe.
Political opponents have expressed particular concern that the Freedom Party has control of the important interior, defence and foreign ministries. Its leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, is now vice chancellor.
Kurz served as foreign minister in the outgoing government and has stressed the importance of a pro-European direction and is expected to continue to take the lead on European issues even though the strongly Eurosceptic Freedom Party will have the foreign ministry.
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