Herbert Kickl
Herbert Kickl (born 19 October 1968) is an Austrian politician who has been leader of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) since June 2021. He previously served as Minister of the Interior from 2017 to 2019 and general-secretary of the FPÖ from 2005 to 2018.
Herbert Kickl | |
|---|---|
| Chair of the Freedom Party | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Norbert Hofer |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 18 December 2017 – 22 May 2019 | |
| Chancellor | Sebastian Kurz |
| Preceded by | Wolfgang Sobotka |
| Succeeded by | Eckart Ratz |
| General Secretary of the Freedom Party | |
| In office 23 April 2005 – 12 January 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Uwe Scheuch |
| Succeeded by | Marlene Svazek |
| Member of the National Council | |
| Assumed office 23 October 2019 | |
| Nominated by | Norbert Hofer |
| Affiliation | Freedom Party |
| In office 24 May 2019 – 22 October 2019 | |
| Constituency | 3 – Lower Austria |
| In office 30 October 2006 – 18 December 2017 | |
| Nominated by | Heinz-Christian Strache |
| Affiliation | Freedom Party |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 October 1968 Villach, Carinthia, Austria |
| Political party | Freedom Party |
| Children | 1 |
Kickl rose to prominence as a campaign director for the FPÖ and speechwriter for Jörg Haider during the 2000s. After the party split in 2005, he became general-secretary and one of its key leaders. In 2017, he was appointed federal Minister of the Interior in the first Kurz government. He was dismissed from office in May 2019 in the wake of the Ibiza affair, though he was not personally implicated. He returned to the National Council, where he has been leader of the FPÖ faction since 2019. In 2021, Der Standard characterised Kickl as a far-right politician.