20-05-2025
German ex-chancellor Schröder present as Lower Saxony elects premier
Germany's former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who has since fallen from grace over his refusal to cut ties with Russia, was among the guests of honour in attendance as the northern state of Lower Saxony elected a new leader on Tuesday.
Regional lawmakers were gathered in the state capital of Hanover to elect a successor to long-time premier Stephan Weil, with Olaf Lies from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) taking on the post.
It was a rare public appearance for Schröder, who served as Lower Saxony's premier for the SPD 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 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 a a controversial post on 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.
Lies become premier of Lower Saxony
The vote on Tuesday saw Olaf Lies - previously the state's economy minister - replace his colleague Stephan Weil as premier of Lower Saxony.
Lies received a clear majority of 80 votes in the 146-seat state parliament and will govern an SPD-Green coalition ahead of state elections in 2027.
The election is a personal triumph for Lies, who narrowly lost out to Weil in a party ballot in 2013.
Lower Saxony is a stronghold for the SPD, with the state being home to party co-leader Lars Klingbeil - Germany's new vice chancellor and finance minister - as well as parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
