A taxpayer-funded birthday celebration for former Austrian Interior Minister Ernst Strasser has ignited a political firestorm, drawing sharp criticism from the far-right FPÖ and the liberal NEOS party. Held on April 29, 2026, at the Interior Ministry in Vienna, the event cost nearly €9,000 of public money. Of the 77 guests invited, 61 attended, including current and former politicians such as Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, and ex-Chancellors Johanna Mikl-Leitner and Wolfgang Sobotka, according to ORF News. Strasser, a member of the conservative ÖVP, served as interior minister from 2000 to 2004 before becoming an EU parliamentarian. Now, a lavish official celebration has reopened old wounds—and raised fresh questions about the use of public funds for political homage.derstandard+2