Status: 03/01/2022 8:50 p.m
Will ex-Chancellor Schröder distance himself from Russian President Putin? Nothing indicates that, despite all appeals from his party. This puts the SPD in a tight spot – and a regulatory procedure is approaching.
Thursday afternoon last week. In the Bochum district of Wattenscheid, members of the SPD local association board in Wattenscheid-Mitte/Westenfeld get together. Actually, it’s about coordinating relief and solidarity actions on site. But there is also talk about Gerhard Schröder. He has just announced that he sees no reason to resign from his posts in the Russian gas industry.
The municipal SPD politicians have had enough now. They want the SPD to take action and sanction the ex-chancellor and former chairman. The committee cannot make any decisions; the meeting was too spontaneous for that. It is therefore agreed to ask the general meeting to discuss party order proceedings against Schröder. The chairman of the local association, Jan Bühlbecker, later tweeted that Schröder not only harmed the SPD, but also peace in Europe. One agrees on that.
Klingbeil quarrels with proximity to Schröder
The Schröder statement in a social medium also occupies the SPD in Berlin. In the party headquarters Willy-Brandt-Haus, people are thinking about how to deal with the ex-boss. This is a difficult personal decision, especially for SPD co-boss Klingbeil. Klingbeil began his political career working in Schröder’s constituency office. The two have been close friends for many years. The former chancellor is also a guest at Klingbeil’s wedding in August 2019.
The SPD politician has been thinking a lot about his relationship with Schröder these days. Should he break with his former sponsor, like Angela Merkel did with her pioneer Helmut Kohl? Klingbeil is also consulting with the Lower Saxony Prime Minister Weil. As head of the SPD state, he is responsible for Schröder by office. There are again talks with those close to Schröder. But the former chancellor remains unapologetic.
Concerted distancing of the party leadership
Klingbeil decides, now is the right time. In his speech on Olaf Scholz’s government statement last Sunday, he wants to publicly call on Schröder to withdraw from all Russian mandates. But Corona gets in the way. Instead, he goes public with a Facebook post on Saturday afternoon. Klingbeil writes that he expects clear behavior from Gerhard Schröder these days. You don’t do business with a warmonger like Putin. It is therefore overdue to end business relations with Putin.
And Klingbeil is not alone, other top comrades are joining. Statements on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter go online at almost the same time. Klingbeil, Weil, the deputy SPD leader Rehlinger and Manuela Schwesig, the prime minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania call on Schröder to end his involvement in Russian energy companies. They had all been waiting for the party leader’s starting signal with their posting.
Regulatory procedures or immediate measures?
But Schröder does not react. Does the party still have to decide on a regulatory procedure? The SPD parliamentary group meets on Tuesday afternoon. Only digital because of Corona. Here, too, the former chancellor is discussed. SPD leader Klingbeil takes the floor. His communication is clear. The ball is now with Schröder. The clock is ticking.
Nevertheless, according to information from ARD-Capital studios in party executive circles talked about another possibility. The body could also become active itself and decide on so-called immediate measures against Schröder. Normally, a party organization procedure is initially with the district or sub-district responsible for the member. However, any local association can apply for the procedure. The subdistrict then has six months to open a case. This can then extend over several instances. Experience has shown that it takes years to achieve a result.
Waiting for Schröder’s reaction
However, the party executive can also decide on immediate measures. The SPD party statute says: “In cases in which serious damage to the party has occurred or is to be expected with a high degree of probability and the party’s interests require rapid intervention, both the responsible district executive board and the party executive board can suspend all or individual rights from membership for a maximum of three months.” Would immediate measures be the way out?
On Thursday, the party executive will hold an online meeting. Such measures could be decided there. For the head of the local association in Wattenscheid, Bühlbecker, this is a conceivable scenario. But he still hopes that the ex-chancellor will give in. “Schröder is rightly getting a lot of pressure from all sorts of comrades – especially from Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil. He would be well advised to react to what his party is telling him,” said Bühlbecker ARD-Capital Studio. But he adds: If Schröder continues to ignore the appeals, “then I would also be in favor of quick immediate measures.”
It became even more likely on Tuesday evening that this would happen. Schröder has actually resigned from a supervisory board mandate. However, not in Russia, but at the German tunnel boring machine manufacturer Herrenknecht. The head of the company had previously distanced himself from the Putin regime.