Austria’s ruling party nominated Interior Minister Karl Nehammer on Friday to lead the country, hoping to draw a line under corruption allegations that cost Sebastian Kurz the top job two months ago.
Kurz, one of Europe’s youngest leaders long seen as a “whizz kid” until graft claims brought him down in October, announced on Thursday he was leaving politics to spend time with his newborn.
To distance itself from the scandal that has engulfed Kurz, the conservative People’s Party (OeVP) replaced several key positions on Friday.
Alexander Schallenberg, who took over from Kurz as chancellor in October, is set to return to the foreign ministry.
The president is expected to accept Nehammer’s nomination and set a date for the swearing-in.
“It is a big honour for me to get this vote of confidence,” Nehammer told reporters, adding it was a “privilege” to be chosen to lead the party and country.
– Party ‘at low point’ –
Nehammer said his new team would continue to fight the fallout from the coronavirus “and get back our freedoms”.
Austria has imposed a three-week partial lockdown since late last month to rein in spiralling virus infection numbers.
With Nehammer, Austria will have had five different chancellors since 2016 in years of unusual political volatility under conservative leadership in the Alpine EU member.
Analyst Thomas Hofer said it was uncertain if the conservative-Green coalition, in power since early 2020, would see through its full mandate until 2024.
“The base of the coalition is very shaky indeed,” Hofer told AFP.
On the other hand, the OeVP was “at a low point” and would try to avoid early polls, while the Greens “might want to enjoy their new power” as their partner is weakened, he added.
– Former army officer –
Born in Vienna, Nehammer worked in the army for several years before becoming a communications adviser.
He became a lawmaker in 2017 and interior minister in January 2020 months before Austria faced its first jihadist attack, which killed four people last November.
The interior ministry was strongly criticised for failing to monitor the Austrian gunman responsible for the killings, even though they had been alerted to the danger.
Activists have also criticised Nehammer over his hardline stance on immigration, including wanting to deport Afghans as the Taliban seized power in Kabul earlier this year.
The scandal that brought down Kurz — who in 2017 became the world’s youngest democratically elected head of government at 31 — erupted in early October.
Prosecutors ordered raids at his office and the finance ministry over allegations that Kurz’s inner circle used public money to pay for polls tailored to boost his image and ensure positive coverage in one of the country’s biggest tabloids.
Kurz has denied any wrongdoing, saying he hopes to have his day in court to prove his innocence.
Kurz wrested control of the OeVP in 2017 and, with a hard stance on immigration, won two elections.
The OeVP’s first coalition collapsed in 2019 when the far-right junior partner became engulfed in a corruption scandal.
After more elections, Kurz returned as chancellor, this time heading an administration with the Greens.
