Gerhard Karner

Gerhard Karner (born 13 November 1967 in Melk) is an Austrian politician currently serving as minister of the interior. From 2003, Karner was a member of the Lower Austrian state legislature. From 2003 to 2015, he was managing director of the People's Party of Lower Austria (VPNÖ). Following the 2015 mayoral election, he became mayor of Texingtal and retained this position until 2021.

Gerhard Karner
Minister of the Interior
Assumed office
6 December 2021
ChancellorKarl Nehammer
Preceded byKarl Nehammer
Personal details
Born (1967-11-13) 13 November 1967
Melk, Lower Austria
Alma materVienna University of Economics and Business
CabinetNehammer

Life

Gerhard Karner spent his childhood and youth in St. Gotthard (municipality of Texingtal) and graduated from Melk Abbey High School, which he graduated with the Matura. Karner later studied business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He then worked in the private sector and worked from November 1996 to February 2000 as a press officer for the Lower Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). From February 2000 to April 2003 he was press spokesman for Interior Minister Ernst Strasser. In April 2003 he took over the position of regional manager of the ÖVP Lower Austria.

Politics

Karner was politically active as a local councilor in Texingtal from 1995, and from April 24, 2003 also as an ÖVP member in the Lower Austrian state parliament. Karner was security spokesman for the ÖVP state parliament club.[1] On October 22, 2015, he became second president of the state parliament.[2] In the same year he was also mayor of Texingtal. On December 3, 2021, he was nominated as Minister of the Interior in the designated federal government of Nehammer and sworn in by the Federal President on December 6, 2021.[3] he lay with his swearing in as Minister down all communal and national political offices.[4]

His state parliament mandate went to Marlene Zeidler-Beck,[5] as second state parliament president Karl Moser should succeed him.[6]

Criticism
Adolf Hitler's birthplace in Braunau am Inn

Even before he became Minister of the Interior, he was criticized by left-wing historians as mayor. The Texingtal community, of which he was mayor, has been running the Dollfuss Museum in the original birthplace of Engelbert Dollfuss since 1998. In 2018 Karner wanted to deal with the "controversial person Dollfuss". However, Karner saw nothing worth questioning about the uncritical museum.[7] Despite widespread criticism, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner planned on sticking to the plans of his predecessors, Wolfgang Peschorn and Karl Nehammer, and moving the Braunau district police command to Adolf Hitler's birthplace.[8]

Awards
  • 2014: Great Silver Medal of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria[9]
  • 2019: Golden Commander's Cross of Honor for Services to the State of Lower Austria[10]

References
  1. Kronen Zeitung: A cup of coffee in the state police station. VP security spokesman, June 2, 2009
  2. "Mag. Gerhard Karner – NÖ Landtag".
  3. "Karner, Brunner - und ein neues junges Gesicht".
  4. "Texingtal braucht neuen Bürgermeister: Karner als Innenminister angelobt".
  5. "Marlene Zeidler-Beck: Vom Bundesrat in den Landtag". December 5, 2021.
  6. "Karl Moser wird Zweiter Landtagspräsident". December 6, 2021.
  7. "Der designierte Innenminister und das Dollfuß-Museum in seiner Heimat".
  8. Lagetar, Magdalena (February 17, 2022). "Der Umbau des Hitlerhauses beginnt im Herbst". Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten (in Austrian German). Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  9. "Ehrenzeichenverleihung an ehemalige und amtierende Abgeordnete".
  10. "Ehrenzeichen für 18 ehemalige und amtierende Landtagsabgeordnete".
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