20-05-2025
German ex-chancellor Schröder on rare public outing at state vote
Germany's former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a Social Democrat who has since fallen out of favour over his refusal to cut ties with Russia, was among the guests of honour observing the election of a new leader in the northern state of Lower Saxony.
Regional lawmakers were gathered in the state capital of Hanover to elect a successor to long-time state Premier Stephan Weil, with fellow Social Democrat Olaf Lies expected to take on the post.
It is a rare public appearance for Schröder, who served as the state leader of Lower Saxony from 1990 until he was elected German chancellor in 1998.
The 81-year-old was hospitalized with "severe burnout" at the beginning of the year, leading him to drastically scale back his public engagements.
While Schröder left office as chancellor some 20 years ago, he has had a busy - and highly controversial - career after politics.
The politician, who also served as the Social Democratic Party (SPD) chairman between 1999 and 2004, has faced intense criticism over his ties to Russia.
He has worked for a number of Russian state-owned companies and has close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On leaving office after losing the 2005 elections, Schröder went on to take board memberships, including controversially for the shareholders' committee for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline linking Germany to Russia.
In January, Schröder cancelled an appearance before a committee in the parliament of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern investigating the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which the former chancellor promoted in office.
Premier Weil, who has been leading Lower Saxony in a caretaker capacity since midnight, appeared to be in a good mood when he arrived at the state parliament on Tuesday by bike, carrying his helmet.
