The 2019 Austrian government crisis – political consequences of the Ibiza affair

Abstract

This article examines the political consequences of the biggest government crisis in the history of the Second Republic of Austria. This ensued after the media revealed in May 2019, the corruption in the activity of the Freedom Party of Austria. The video sting scandal, dubbed Ibiza-gate, has shaken Austria, prompted the collapse of the coalition between the Austrian People’s Party and Freedom Party of Austria, and subsequently brought down the government after the National Council had voted no-confidence to Sebastian Kurz’s cabinet. In this article, a hypothesis is put forward that the scandal has strengthened the Christian Democrats’ position on the Austrian political scene, despite opposition criticism that ÖVP, which decided to cooperate with the extreme right, is co-responsible for the political crisis.