Karl Nahammer, Austria’s interior minister, became the new chancellor. He was elected by the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) board. Niemer will also be the leader of the new party.

The current chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, announced his departure on Thursday. He succeeded Sebastian Kurz in October, who resigned over a corruption scandal. Kurz allegedly used public money in 2016 to manipulate opinion polls in his favour. Then he became the leader of the conservative ÖVP and became a chancellor.

Schallenberg will step down as head of government because he believes the chancellor should also be the leader of the ÖVP. This party has the largest number of seats in the Bundestag. Schallenberg himself does not want to lead his party. Schallenberg will remain in the Cabinet, returning to his previous position as Secretary of State.

49-year-old Nehamer is a former soldier. As a minister in his country, during the Corona pandemic, he was responsible for imposing lockdowns and restrictions, among other things. He was referred to by the Austrian media as the most likely candidate to become the next ÖVP leader and chancellor.