Lower Saxony's Minister President Olaf Lies has urged the federal black-red coalition to improve expectation management. He criticizes the impression that everything changes immediately after the government switch. Lies emphasizes that not all problems can be solved within half a year.
Olaf Lies, Minister President of Lower Saxony and SPD politician, voiced criticism regarding expectations toward the new black-red coalition in Berlin. In an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), he said: «It created the impression: There's a new government, and everything changes right away.» Lies pointed out that it is impossible to solve all problems within half a year. «It is not possible to solve all problems within half a year. And the economy does not grow immediately just because there was a change of government.»
Despite the criticism, Lies praised the achievements so far: Much good has already been decided. However, he criticized the tendency to align political debates around drastic demands. «This urge for trophies – ban on combustion engines away, heating law away – is anyway not very helpful. What are people supposed to do with the fact that something is overturned? They want to know where it's going,» Lies said.
Particularly on the issue of the combustion engine ban, he called for better communication of joint solutions. «It's important that we no longer talk about the end of the end of combustion engines.» Lies' statements from November 13, 2025, highlight the need for more realistic expectation management to maintain public trust. The black-red coalition, consisting of CDU/CSU and SPD, faces challenges in economic and climate policy.