Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz appears in a television studio on krone.tv for the first time in over half a year (video above!). He takes care of his critics and makes people sit up and pay attention with a statement about FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl: If Kickl were to become chancellor, “that is democracy”.
Surprisingly, Kurz did not criticize Kickl, who was one of the reasons for the end of Turquoise-Blue because he did not want to leave his post as Minister of the Interior under pressure from the ÖVP after the Ibiza video. Kurz says he supports the coalition with the FPÖ. “We had a balanced budget and did not take on any debt. I thought our view on migration was correct.”
Kurz avoided asking whether Kickl was “right-wing extremist.” “There are no attributions from me. I would like to see a little more respect for different opinions. There is no good discourse anymore.” But this is actually part of democracy.
“We are now in a system where the purpose of an interrogation in the investigative committee is not to find out anything, but rather to implicate the witness in giving false testimony.” Politics is now characterized by constant attempts to criminalize the other. Or to put it another way: “If you like the election results, it’s democracy and if you don’t, it’s populism,” Kurz said.
Kurz is extremely relaxed about the verdict in the false statements trial expected next week. In his opinion, all commissioners stated that they were not influenced in the election of Thomas Schmid as ÖBAG boss. That Schmid burdens him is understandable, but not sustainable.
He thinks it is unfair that he has to answer for himself in court because of semantic subtleties. “It was the beginning of the pandemic. I didn’t prepare well, I could have done better. But I know the setting of commissions of inquiry, with the bickering, the interruptions and the innuendo.”
Despite his irreconcilable departure from politics, the ex-chancellor has not lost his political interest. Kurz still likes to talk about world politics. He talks about the war in Ukraine. “We are not heading for World War III. But there will be no winner, because Russia is a nuclear power.” A solution is needed at the negotiating table. “The sooner this is found, the sooner the mutual killing will come to an end.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
