Karl Nehammer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Nehammer
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Nehammer in 2024
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| Chancellor of Austria | |
| In office 6 December 2021 – 10 January 2025 |
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| President | Alexander Van der Bellen |
| Vice-Chancellor | Werner Kogler (2021–2024) Vacant (2024–2025) |
| Preceded by | Alexander Schallenberg |
| Succeeded by | Christian Stocker |
| Chair of the People's Party | |
| In office 3 December 2021 – 5 January 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Sebastian Kurz |
| Succeeded by | Christian Stocker (acting) |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 7 January 2020 – 6 December 2021 |
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| Chancellor | Sebastian Kurz Alexander Schallenberg |
| Preceded by | Wolfgang Peschorn |
| Succeeded by | Gerhard Karner |
| Secretary-General of the People's Party | |
| In office 20 January 2018 – 3 January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Stefan Steiner |
| Succeeded by | Axel Melchior |
| Member of the National Council | |
| In office 9 November 2017 – 7 January 2020 |
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| Succeeded by | Rudolf Taschner |
| Constituency | 9 – Vienna |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 October 1972 Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | People's |
| Spouse | Katharina Nidetzky |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University for Continuing Education Krems |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Austria |
| Branch/service | Austrian Army |
| Years of service | 1993-1997 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
Karl Nehammer (born 18 October 1972) is an Austrian politician. He served as the Chancellor of Austria from 2021 to 2025. He is a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). Before becoming Chancellor, he was the Minister of the Interior from 2020 to 2021. He also served as the general secretary of the ÖVP from 2018 to 2020. From 2017 to 2020, he was a member of the National Council, which is like Austria's parliament.
Nehammer became Chancellor after Alexander Schallenberg resigned. Schallenberg wanted to return to his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Nehammer stepped down as Chancellor on 10 January 2025. This happened after his party's talks to form a new government were not successful.
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Early Life and Education
Karl Nehammer grew up in Vienna, Austria. He went to grammar school and finished in 1992. After school, he joined the military. He served as a one-year volunteer and continued his service until 1996. In 1997, he became a lieutenant.
After his military service, Nehammer worked as a trainer. He taught information officers for the Federal Ministry of Defence. He also trained people in strategic communication for different groups. From 2012, he studied political communication at the University for Continuing Education Krems. He earned a master's degree after two years.
Political Career
Nehammer started working with the ÖVP party after leaving the military. He first worked at the party academy. From 2007 to 2009, he held different roles at the party headquarters. He managed service, mobilization, training, and networking departments. Later, he became the director of the party academy's Lower Austria branch.
In 2015, Nehammer became a deputy general-secretary for the Austrian Workers' Union (ÖAAB). This is a trade union group within the ÖVP. He also helped with the ÖVP's presidential campaign in 2016. In 2016, he became the general-secretary of the ÖAAB. He also became the regional chairman of the ÖAAB in Vienna. Since 2017, he has been the district party chairman of the ÖVP in Vienna-Hietzing.
In the 2017 federal election, Nehammer was elected to represent Vienna. He was part of the ÖVP team that discussed defense issues for the new government. In 2018, he became the general-secretary of the ÖVP. He also became the party's spokesperson for integration and migration.
Minister of the Interior
Nehammer was appointed as the Minister of the Interior in 2020. He was sworn in on 7 January. In this role, he was in charge of internal security. For example, in 2020, the Austrian government charged someone who admitted to spying for another country.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nehammer was one of the main public officials managing the crisis. He was responsible for making sure people followed lockdowns and other rules. He strongly supported the refugee policies of then-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Nehammer led the government's response after an attack in Vienna in 2020. He said the attacker was a terrorist. He also admitted that intelligence services had not shared information that could have stopped the attack. After the attack, Nehammer's wife and children received police protection.
Chancellor of Austria
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In October 2021, Sebastian Kurz resigned as Chancellor. Alexander Schallenberg took his place. Kurz then decided to leave politics entirely in December. Schallenberg then announced he would also resign as Chancellor. He wanted the new ÖVP leader to take the top job.
On 3 December, Nehammer was chosen to lead the ÖVP. He was then suggested as the new Chancellor. President Alexander Van der Bellen officially swore him in on 6 December. In May 2022, Nehammer was officially elected as the ÖVP chairman with 100% of the votes.
Under Nehammer's leadership, the Austrian government introduced plans to help families with the rising cost of living. In 2022, they put together a package worth six billion euros. This was to help people deal with higher prices.
In December 2022, Nehammer played a key role in blocking Romania and Bulgaria from joining the Schengen area. This area allows people to travel freely between countries without border checks.
Nehammer showed support for Israel during the Israel–Hamas war. In October 2023, he did not support calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On 4 January 2025, Nehammer resigned as Chancellor. This happened because talks to form a new government failed. These talks were between his party, the SPÖ, and NEOS. This followed the 2024 election.
Other Activities
- National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2020)
Recognition
On 22 February 2022, the Greek Minister of Migration, Notis Mitarachi, gave Karl Nehammer an award. It was the Commendation Medal of First Class Migration Assistance. This was to thank Nehammer and Austria for their help during a crisis in Evros in March 2020.
Personal Life
Karl Nehammer is married to Katharina Nehammer. She is also a member of the ÖVP. They have two children together. In early 2020, Katharina worked as a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence. She later started working in public relations in the private sector in July 2020. Nehammer's father-in-law is Peter Nidetzky, a former presenter for ORF.
Images for kids
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Nehammer with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium, 15 December 2021
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Nehammer with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, 9 April 2022
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Nehammer with Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, July 2023
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Nehammer with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, Israel, 25 October 2023
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See also
In Spanish: Karl Nehammer para niños
