The new designated Austrian Chancellor, interior Minister Karl Nehammer, gives a press statement at a press conference after a meeting of the Austrian People's Party in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner)Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg talks at a press conference in Tulln, Austria, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Austrias lockdown has officially been extended until Dec. 11 as planned amid signs that the measures are helping to bring down a sky-high coronavirus infection rate. A parliamentary committee signed off Tuesday on the extension of the countrys fourth national lockdown of the pandemic that started on Nov. 22. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner)Former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces that he is quitting politics, two months after stepping down as leader amid corruption allegations, during a news conference in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner)The new designated Austrian Chancellor, interior Minister Karl Nehammer, gives a press statement at a press conference after a meeting of the Austrian People's Party in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner)
The Associated Press
The new designated Austrian Chancellor, interior Minister Karl Nehammer, gives a press statement at a press conference after a meeting of the Austrian People's Party in Vienna, Austria, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner)
BERLIN – Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer announced Friday that he will be the acting leader of the conservative People’s Party and will seek to become Austria's next chancellor.
The current chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, said Thursday that he would step down to make way for someone to take over as both the head of government and the leader of the Austrian People's Party, which won the most votes in the country's 2019 election.
Recommended Videos
Schallenberg took over as chancellor in October after his predecessor, Sebastian Kurz, stumbled over corruption allegations.
Nehammer needs the backing of his party's junior coalition partners, the Greens, and the approval of Austria's president, which is considered a formality.
His position as permanent leader of the People's Party would require formal confirmation.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
