Austria: Carl Nehamer is sworn in as chancellor

Former Austrian Interior Minister Carl Nehammer was sworn in as the country’s new chancellor today, ending a period of political turmoil.

Nehamer, 49, was sworn in before Austrian President Alexander van der Belen at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

Considered by political analysts to be “loyal” to his party, the conservative OVP, Nehamer first took office in 2020, when then-Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz appointed him interior minister.

“This is a balance choice,” said Austrian political analyst Patrick Moro. Without being too close to him, he is “loyal to Sebastian Kurtz”, with whom he agrees on the hard line against immigration.

But unlike the former chancellor, who rose to the top of the party in an impressive and rapid way, Nehamer “represents the old OVP (…) and is a unifying figure,” Moro continued.

According to the expert, this event is expected to “facilitate” the work and “stabilize” the governing coalition of the OVP with the Greens.

This unexpected collaboration was severely tested this year due to the ideological differences between the two parties, but mainly due to the vast legal adventures.

Exit the lockdown

Kurt was first accused in May of making a false statement to a parliamentary committee and then in October became embroiled in a corruption scandal that cost him the post of chancellor.

After being replaced by Alexander Salenberg, the former foreign minister, the 35-year-old Kurtz remained in the presidency of the OVP. But he finally announced last week that he was leaving politics to focus on his family and new “professional challenges”.

To consolidate his power and turn the page on the Kurtz era, Nehamer has already decided to proceed with a major reshuffle.

Even before 2020, political life in Austria was turbulent, the country of 8.9 million people has met five chancellors since 2016.

Nehamer’s first mission will be to get out of the lockdown, which is scheduled for the weekend.

Due to the outbreak of covid-19 cases, Austria first announced a lockdown for the unvaccinated and then general: shops, restaurants, cultural and sports venues have closed, while only schools remain open.

It was also the first country in the EU to announce mandatory vaccination against covid-19 on 1 February 2022.

A former military man, Carl Nehammer did not hesitate to warn protesters who have been on the streets for three weeks, protesting against the pandemic.

It should also look to boost the OVP’s popularity: following Kurtz’s resignation as chancellor, the party, which has been in power since 1987, lost the top spot in the polls. Now the Social Democrats are ahead, followed by the far right.

Source: AMPE