The many faces of Sebastian Kurz

A SENSE OFEU surrounds Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor. It is certainly not due to his appearance. At 34, he is a decade or three younger than most European leaders. A slicked-back bob stands out against the near-mandatory short back and sides of his peers. Nor does it extend to his personality. Where most politicians enjoy grandstanding, Mr Kurz is renowned as a listener. While leaders can be brusque, Mr Kurz is relentlessly polite, cultivating the image of a well-mannered son-in-law.It is Mr Kurz’s approach to politics that is familiar, odd though that may appear at first glance. Although he became Austria’s youngest chancellor in 2017, aged 31, his career has been decidedly bumpy since then. His first government collapsed in a corruption scandal in which his booze-soaked coalition partner was taken in by someone pretending to be a Russian oligarch’s niece. Once hailed as an admired force within European politics, Mr Kurz became the loudest critic of the ’s response to covid-19. Back home, a series of sprawling inquiries into the previous government is circling closer to Mr Kurz and his allies. A potential perjury charge now hangs over the Austrian leader, for allegedly lying during one of those inquiries. He has defended himself by lashing out at the judiciary. Mr Kurz’s career is quite a tale. But similar versions of it have been told before.