According to the investigators, “manipulated surveys” would have been ordered in favor of Sebastian Kurz before being favorable articles in a press group in exchange for an advertising contract with the Ministry of Finance.
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Police in the Chancellery, at the headquarters of the Austrian People’s Party, at the Ministry of Finance … The Austrian anti-corruption floor has provoked a real political crisis by organizing, Wednesday, 6 October, searches in the highest places of power in Vienna. In a statement, the prosecutors confirmed that their investigations directly target the young and very popular Chancellor Conservative Sebastian Kurz, for “misappropriation, corruption and influence trading”.
With nine of his relatives, Mr. Kurz would have organized “between 2016 and at least 2018” a campaign of “manipulated surveys” in his favor and financed by the taxpayer. For the moment, Mr. Kurz, 35, is not indicted in this case, but it is the second time in a few months that he is targeted by an investigation. In May, the parquet had already opened up against him investigations for “false testimony”, which now seem much less threatening than this new procedure.
Although it disputes the facts and announced that it would not resign by asking “respect for the presumption of innocence”, these judicial investigations weaken the express career of this Wunderkind (“child prodigy”) of the Right hard Austrian. “We wonder how it could survive that (…) The government is on the verge of the explosion,” said October 7, the Conservative Diege Die Press in his editorial, by qualifying the facts “well corroborated “.
Ence comfortable
According to the investigators, the “manipulated surveys” would have been ordered by the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, a close to Mr. Kurz, at a time when the latter was Minister of Foreign Affairs and sought to take the place. From the former president of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), Reinhold Mitterlehner. These polls showing that Mr. Kurz was much more popular than his predecessor were then favorable in the tabloid press group and close to the right Österreich. According to the investigators, the media group would have in exchange for € 1.3 million of the Ministry of Finance advertising campaign.
After taking the party’s head, Mr. Kurz then became Chancellor in 2017 at 31 years alone by first alleviating with the extreme right. Since the beginning of 2020, he governs with the Greens. Uncomfortable, the latter have just been satisfied to affirm “having totally confidence in justice”. Their embarrassment is all the greater as the ÖVP of Mr. Kurz multiplies attacks against prosecutors. A member of the party has thus described the procedures of “politically motivated” by “red cells” within the anti-corruption floor.
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