You know who else gets early elections? Yup, Austria.

[Syt]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/15/sebastian-kurz-meet-30-year-old-attempting-remodel-austrian/

Sebastian Kurz: Meet the 30-year-old attempting to remodel Austrian politics in Macron's image

The 30-year-old politician who is forcing early elections in Austria is to remodel his party on the lines of Emmanuel Macron's En Marche movement.

Sebastian Kurz announced plans to scrap the People's Party (ÖVP)'s constituency selection process and replace it with a list of independent candidates endorsed by the party.

The popular foreign minister was appointed leader of the ÖVP on Sunday after vowing to pull it out of Austria's coalition government.

There are fears the move risks handing power to the far-Right Freedom Party (FPÖ) less than six months after it narrowly missed winning the Austrian presidency.

But Mr Kurz appears to be gambling that he can trade his personal popularity for electoral success.

He has announced plans to rebuild the ÖVP, one of the two parties that have governed Austria between them since the end of the Second World War, in his own image.

"We have decided that we are starting a movement, that we value existing strengths within the People's Party but at the same time we are bringing new people on board," he told a press conference in Vienna.

Mr Kurz is clearly attempting to model himself on President Macron, another young politician who has torn up the existing order.

The list of candidates for election will not only be branded as the "New People's Party", they will also carry Mr Kurz's name — a highly controversial move in a country with a parliamentary rather than a presidential system.

The FPÖ is currently leading in the opinion polls but a number of surveys have indicated that the ÖVP, which is currently in third place, could overtake it under Mr Kurz's leadership.

The 30-year-old has taken a populist stance on immigration, and been accused of trying to outflank the FPÖ with its own rhetoric.

Christian Kern, the Austrian chancellor, on Sunday said he believed early elections were inevitable given Mr Kurz's position.

The ÖVP have basically given him a blank cheque to do whatever he thinks he needs to do to/with the party, which was surprising, because the branches in the various states of Austria usually wield great power over the party's direction and actions.

An interesting move, but not sure what to think of it yet. Some liken him to Orban or Edogan due to his power grab within the party, but I think it's overblown for the moment.

New elections: 15th October (a year earlier than planned)

[Zanza]

Looks like a Milchbubi.

[Syt]

Very much, yes. dietagespresse (Austrian Onion/Postillion) is having a field day with it: http://dietagespresse.com/

[The Brain]

Is his fiancée called The Horror?