After Kurz follows a new face in the political landscape: Brigitte Bierlein, Austria’s first female chancellor. She is a good compromise for people it seems, she is a woman therefore the left accepts her, she is conservative therefore the right likes her, she has liberal views on certain topics, she accepts same-sex marriage and has generally an open attitude towards immigration.
It took a life time of male dominated politics and 1.5 years of a damaging populist government to finally have a woman in power, however not voted by the public. With her cabinet formed of 50% women and 50% men she has created a new image for Austrian politics. At least until September when the next general election will take place when we will see if Kurz will simply become stronger amongst the public.
Some voices critcise her for still being from the conservative section, but President Van der Bellen has written history by appointing a woman into a powerful political position. She is a woman and Austria needed this after the Kurz-Strache disaster of a government. Slowly she tidies up what Kurz has destroyed. The all smoking ban might finally be implemented which has been denied by the Kurz government and has simply emphasized Austria’s position as Europe’s ashtray.
After the Kurz government was removed, other things have been removed. Kickl’s (the former infamous racist Minister of Inner Affairs) discriminatory signs at refugee camps have been taken down immediately.
Bierlein might be still a conservative, she is however needed to set a sign for politics. A woman in power is a strong sign in a world where there is still a significant inequality between women and men, a world that has not many female leaders. It will stay open what will happen in September’s elections but for once Austria is in the international headlines this time with a more positive outlook after all the corruption scandals and a government that has caused a political car crash.
The Monikart Studio 