Germany Needs its Own Sebastian Kurz

BERLIN — Germany’s conservatives are watching Sebastian Kurz closely. For some in the center right, the 31-year-old Austrian politician’s rise to the chancellorship offers a blueprint for revival.

For years, German Chancellor Angela Merkel brushed off accusations that the party has left its right flank exposed. She did so again after September’s election — when her conservative alliance lost close to 10 percentage points and handed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) a ticket to the national parliament.

The election’s biggest winners were parties that offered a more attractive conservative profile — the German Liberals (FDP), with their promises of a rightward swing on economic policy, and the AfD with its focus on preserving German identity.