Another change of government
Karl Nehammer becomes Austria’s new Federal Chancellor
The third Chancellor within a year: Karl Nehammer is Austria’s new Federal Chancellor.
© Georg Hochmuth / APA / DPA
After only two months in office, Austria’s Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg resigns. The previous Minister of the Interior, Karl Nehammer, will take over the post. And another post falls to him.
The 49-year-old Karl Nehammer is to become the new head of the conservative ÖVP and the new chancellor of Austria. The ÖVP’s executive committee decided unanimously on Friday after Nehammer’s words. The previous Minister of the Interior succeeds Alexander Schallenberg, who resigned his post after only two months in office. The trigger for the personnel rogue was the withdrawal of ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz from all party offices and politics in general.
Nehammer is a former professional soldier with the rank of lieutenant and has been a party official for many years. Among other things, he stands for a tough stance against illegal migration and radical Islamist currents. One of his main projects as interior minister was the restructuring of the protection of the constitution, which had come under fire several times in the past few years and which also revealed deficiencies in the run-up to the terrorist attack on November 2, 2020.
Another short confidante?
Responsibility, solidarity and freedom would be among the central fundamental values of his policy, said Nehammer in an initial statement. “To be there for one another, to stand up for one another, to take care of one another”, that applies especially in the corona pandemic.
According to experts, the 49-year-old was part of the extended, but not the closest, circle of friends of Kurz. “In contrast to Kurz, he also has intact connections to the Social Democrats,” said political scientist Thomas Hofer. The relationship with the green coalition partner is also sustainable, despite some friction.
The swearing-in is still pending
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen still has to formally swear in Nehammer as Chancellor. His role as party leader has yet to be confirmed by a party congress.
Kurz’s withdrawal had triggered a personal domino effect. Finance Minister Gernot Blümel, a close confidante for a short time, announced his retirement from politics. In view of the development, calls for new elections to take place soon have been loud in parts of the opposition. The alliance of ÖVP and Greens, which has been overshadowed by conflicts over and over again, has been in power since the beginning of 2020.