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) |
| Preceded by | Alexander Schallenberg |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Schallenberg (acting) 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 |
| 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 28th 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 to return to his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Nehammer stepped down as chancellor on 10 January 2025.
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Early Life and Education
Nehammer grew up in Vienna, Austria. He went to Kalksburg Grammar School and then Amerlingstrasse Grammar School, finishing in 1992. After school, he joined the military. He served until 1996 and became a lieutenant in 1997.
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, Nehammer 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 army. He worked at the party's main office from 2007 to 2009. He then became a director for the party academy in Lower Austria.
In 2015, Nehammer became a deputy general-secretary for the Austrian Workers' Union (ÖAAB), which is part of the ÖVP. He also helped with the ÖVP's presidential campaign in 2016.
He became the general-secretary of the ÖAAB in 2016 and held this job until 2018. In 2016, he was also chosen to lead the ÖAAB in Vienna. Since 2017, he has been the head of the ÖVP in Vienna-Hietzing.
In the 2017 federal election, Nehammer was elected to represent Vienna in the National Council. He helped the ÖVP negotiate on defense topics to form a new government. He became a deputy leader of the ÖVP group in parliament and a spokesperson for media. In 2018, he became the general-secretary of the ÖVP. He also became the spokesperson for integration and migration in September 2018.
Nehammer ran in the 2019 federal election. He was involved in talks about Europe, migration, integration, and security when the new government was being formed.
Minister of the Interior
Nehammer became the Minister of the Interior in the second Kurz government. He was sworn in on 7 January 2020. As minister, he was one of the main people managing Austria's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was in charge of making sure people followed the rules and restrictions. He also strongly supported Sebastian Kurz's policies on refugees.
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.
Chancellor of Austria
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In October 2021, Sebastian Kurz resigned as chancellor. Alexander Schallenberg took over. Kurz then retired from politics in December. Schallenberg decided not to stay as chancellor and would resign once a new ÖVP leader was chosen. On 3 December, Nehammer was chosen to lead the ÖVP and was suggested as the next chancellor. He was sworn in by President Alexander Van der Bellen on 6 December 2021. In May 2022, Nehammer was officially elected as ÖVP chairman with 100% of the votes.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nehammer visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in April 2022. He then went to Moscow to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin. Nehammer said he spoke to Putin about the war and the need for international justice. After the meeting, Nehammer warned that Putin was planning a new attack in eastern Ukraine.
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Under Nehammer's leadership, Austria's government put together a plan in 2022 to help families with the rising cost of living. This plan was worth six billion euros.
In December 2022, Nehammer made the decision for Austria to veto Bulgaria's and Romania's entry into the Schengen Area. This caused problems in relations between Austria and Romania. As of July 2025, neither Bulgaria nor Romania is fully part of the Schengen Area.
In September 2023, Nehammer said that talks for Turkey to join the European Union should end. He suggested a new way for the EU and Turkey to work together.
Nehammer expressed support for Israel during the Gaza war.
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In the 2024 Austrian legislative election on 29 September, the ÖVP came in second place. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won the most seats. However, no party in parliament wanted to form a government with the FPÖ. Because of this, President Van der Bellen asked Nehammer to try and form a new government on 22 October.
On 4 January 2025, Nehammer announced he would step down as party leader and chancellor. This happened after talks to form a government with the SPÖ and NEOS failed after 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)
Personal Life
Nehammer is married to Katharina Nehammer, who is also a member of the ÖVP. They have two children.
See also
In Spanish: Karl Nehammer para niños
