The world’s youngest leader wins in Austria

A youthful figure climbs up a mountain to a soundtrack of ambient electro. From the summit he surveys the land beneath him, determination in his eyes. The video is a campaign advert by the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). The man is its leader, 31-year-old Sebastian Kurz.

After his party won the most seats in yesterday’s election, Kurz is set to lead Austria as its youngest ever chancellor. The campaign, beset by scandal and marked by the prominence of the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), was the most memorable in generations. Yet nothing was more remarkable than the meteoric rise of Kurz, nicknamed “the whizz kid”.

Despite his tender age, the kid is politically experienced. He became chairman of the ÖVP’s youth branch in 2009, energising it by organising bike rides and pub nights. At 27 he was made foreign minister. He started to talk tough on minorities, especially Muslims, and helped to stem the large flow of asylum seekers into Austria.

Immigration is a pressing issue in Austria. Experts put Kurz’s success yesterday down to his combination of hardline policies and energetic charisma. His young face adorned campaign posters; he renamed the ÖVP the New People’s Party and changed its official colour from black to turquoise. This fresh approach won him support among young and old alike.

Kurz’s age is not unprecedented in politics. Revolutionary leaders are often young, and some monarchs ascend the throne in their childhood – Alfonso XIII became king of Spain on the day he was born.

However, it is very rare for someone as young as Kurz to be democratically elected to lead a country. Indeed, Emmanuel Macron was considered unusually young when he was appointed as France’s president at 39.

And while, broadly speaking, Western leaders have become younger over the decades, in some countries the trend is reversing. The UK’s party leaders are the oldest in generations. In last year’s presidential election, Americans chose between two candidates past retirement age.

Is youth really an asset in a leader?

Whizz-dom

“Of course,” say some. Young people are more creative than their elders, and quicker to adapt to change. They are also more in tune with young voters, who are all too often ignored in politics. What with recent immigration, Austria is evolving fast. It takes a dynamic young person like Kurz to lead the country at this time.

“Perhaps,” reply others, “but youth has flaws of its own.” Kurz is not that experienced in managing an organisation. Nor does he have the gravitas needed to be taken seriously on the world stage. And at 31, he lacks the worldly wisdom that comes with age. He can run a good campaign, but he is too young to govern.