It is a logical step that Austria’s previous chief diplomat Alexander Schallenberg should now replace Sebastian Kurz as the conservative head of government. As a long-time advisor to Kurz, Schallenberg is not only familiar with the mechanisms in the power center of the republic. The designated 52-year-old Chancellor also has negotiating skills and an international format to smooth the waves at home and abroad that were triggered by corruption allegations against Kurz. The special coloring of his language reveals Schallenberg’s descent from the former Austrian nobility, who also stood out from the rest of the population through their tone of voice. His father was a diplomat. Son Alexander was born in Bern and grew up in India, Spain and France.
The French phrases that he often uses in conversations reinforce the flair of an old-school diplomat. Behind the cosmopolitanism is a politician with crystal clear views, which he also communicates with sometimes harsh words – especially when it comes to his restrictive stance on migration. When the co-governing Greens demanded the admission of refugees from the burned down camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year, Schallenberg said: “The shouting for distribution cannot be the solution”.
This summer he said that local EU representatives in Afghanistan should be evacuated to neighboring countries rather than Europe. The tough stance of the ÖVP had forced the Greens to radically change course in refugee policy, which earned the party leadership harsh criticism from the grassroots.
Schallenberg also advocates the enlargement of the EU in the Western Balkans in order to put a stop to the influence of Russia and China in the region. He began his career as an Austrian diplomat in Brussels. He then worked as a spokesman for foreign ministers. When Kurz was still foreign minister, he made the father of four his chief strategist. In 2019 he became Foreign Minister in a transitional cabinet and retained the post after the 2019 election. (BLZ / dpa)