Olaf Lies (born 8 May 1967) is a German politician who has served as Minister President of Lower Saxony and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in Lower Saxony since May 2025. He has been a Member of the Landtag of Lower Saxony for Friesland since 2008 and previously held several cabinet positions in the state government of his predecessor, Stephan Weil.
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Political career
Lies joined the Social Democratic Party in 2002. In the 2008 state elections he became member of the Landtag of Lower Saxony. He was leader of his party in Lower Saxony from 2010 to 2012.
Minister-President Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony appointed Lies to the position of State Minister for Economics, Labour and Transport in 2013 and later to State Minister for Environment, Energy, Building, and Climate Protection in his cabinet.
In the negotiations to form a coalition government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel following the 2017 federal elections, Lies was part of the working group on energy, climate protection and the environment, led by Armin Laschet, Georg Nüßlein and Barbara Hendricks.
In the negotiations to form a so-called traffic light coalition of the SPD, the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) following the 2021 federal elections, Lies was part of his party's delegation in the working group on agriculture and nutrition, co-chaired by Till Backhaus, Renate Künast and Carina Konrad.
Lies was nominated by his party as delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2022.
On 1 April 2025, Stephan Weil announced that he would step down as Minister President of Lower Saxony and leader of the SPD in Lower Saxony. On 16 May 2025, a special state party conference selected Olaf Lies as the party's candidate to succeed him. On 20 May, the Landtag of Lower Saxony elected Lies as Minister President in the first round of voting, with 80 of the 144 votes cast. On 24 May 2025, he was elected leader of the SPD in Lower Saxony at the party's regular state conference.
Lies is expected to be SPD's lead candidate in the 2027 Lower Saxony state election.
Other activities
Regulatory agencies
Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway (BNetzA), Member of the Advisory Board
Corporate boards
Meyer Werft, Member of the supervisory board (since 2024)
Deutsche Messe, Member of the Supervisory Board
Volkswagen Group, Member of the supervisory board (since 2013)
Non-profit organizations
Business Forum of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of the Political Advisory Board (since 2020)
German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2018)