The Second Kurz government (German: Zweite Bundesregierung Kurz or Kurz II) was the 33rd government of the Republic of Austria. Led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (Austrian People's Party, ÖVP) and Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler (The Greens – The Green Alternative), it was sworn in by President Alexander Van der Bellen on 7 January 2020 and dissolved on 11 October 2021, when it was succeeded by the Schallenberg government.
Background
The Second Kurz government followed the collapse of the First Kurz government in May 2019, which fell after the Ibiza affair involving its coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). A vote of no confidence removed Kurz from office, and a caretaker government under Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein was installed. In the subsequent snap election held on 29 September 2019, the ÖVP won 37% of the vote, while the Greens surged to nearly 14%—their highest result ever. The ÖVP did not achieve an absolute majority and entered coalition negotiations with the Greens.
Coalition
The coalition between the centre-right ÖVP and the centre-left Greens was unprecedented in Austrian national politics. It was the only such conservative-green coalition in Europe at the time. The coalition agreement was finalized on 1 January 2020, approved by the ÖVP executive on 3 January, and ratified by the Green Party's federal congress on 4 January 2020 with 93.18% of delegate votes.
Composition
The cabinet consisted of 14 ministers and several state secretaries. Key members included:
- Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) – Chancellor
- Werner Kogler (Greens) – Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport
- Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) – Minister of the Interior
- Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) – Minister for European and International Affairs
- Alma Zadić (Greens) – Minister of Justice
- Leonore Gewessler (Greens) – Minister of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
- Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) – Minister of Finance
- Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) – Minister of Defence
- Rudolf Anschober (Greens) – Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (until April 2021, succeeded by Wolfgang Mückstein)
- Heinz Faßmann (Independent, ÖVP-nominated) – Minister of Education, Science and Research
- Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) – Minister of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism
- Margarete Schramböck (ÖVP) – Minister of Digital and Economic Affairs
- Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) – Chancellery Minister for EU and Constitution
- Susanne Raab (ÖVP) – Chancellery Minister for Women and Integration
The government was the first in Austrian history in which women constituted a majority of cabinet members.
Policy Agenda
The coalition programme, titled "Out of Responsibility for Austria," included:
- Climate and environment: A target of carbon neutrality by 2040, a decade earlier than the EU-wide goal, and a pledge for all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030.
- Taxation: A reduction of the tax and contribution burden toward 40% of GDP, with cuts to income tax rates.
- Migration: A continuation of a hard line on illegal migration, including an extension of the headscarf ban in schools for girls up to age 14 and the revival of a plan for "precautionary detention" of potentially dangerous asylum seekers.
- Education: A shift from compulsory school attendance to a "compulsory education" model ensuring minimum standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
- Budget: A commitment to reducing Austria's debt ratio toward 60% of GDP.
Dissolution
On 9 October 2021, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced his resignation amid a corruption investigation (the ÖVP corruption affair). He proposed Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg as his successor. The Second Kurz government was formally dissolved on 11 October 2021, and the Schallenberg government was sworn in the same day.
