Following the resignation of Sebastian Kurz, the new chancellor Nehmer now heads the Austrian People’s Party. He is in a difficult position at the moment.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehmer, who has been in office for five months, is now also the party leader of the conservative OVP. At an extraordinary federal party convention on Saturday, 100 percent of delegates voted for him. The 49-year-old accepted the election. The VP has ruled in coalition with the Greens since early 2020. The alliance is considered stable.

His predecessor, Sebastian Kurz (35), resigned as chancellor in October 2021 after an investigation into suspected corruption began. He has retired from politics and now works for Peter Thiel, an American investor and billionaire close to former US President Donald Trump.

Nehmar was the only candidate for the position. The party is in a difficult position. Under investigations against various OVP top politicians on suspicion of corruption, the party’s elections have been spoiled by power, and days before the party meeting, Nehmar had to reshuffle the cabinet following the resignation of two ministers. Nehmer wanted to “inject courage” into the party according to his surroundings.

“It is also about regaining the trust that has been somewhat lost,” said the chancellor of the “Klein Zeitung”. Out of the more than 1,000 guests at the party congress in Graz, about 600 delegates have the right to vote.

Nehmer was also in the international spotlight recently due to his surprise visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting went without concrete results.