party expulsion
Palmer’s Green Party membership is to be suspended
Tübingen’s Lord Mayor Boris Palmer should let his party membership rest. Photo: Christoph Schmidt/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Tübingen’s mayor Boris Palmer attracted attention with controversial statements, especially during the corona pandemic. The Greens want to expel him from the party. For the time being there is a compromise.
Tübingen’s Lord Mayor Boris Palmer is to suspend his membership in the Greens until the end of 2023. The state arbitration court made this proposal after the oral hearing in the party exclusion proceedings against Palmer, as a spokesman said.
In addition, Palmer and the Greens are scheduled to begin talks in 2023 about how the politician might express controversial intra-party opinions in the future – while respecting the party’s principles and order.
In order for the procedure to be completed, however, both sides must agree to the proposal by May 16th. If at least one of the two parties should not agree to the proposal, the state arbitration court would have to deal with the procedure again, said the spokesman.
After the hearing, Palmer’s attorney Rezzo Schlauch said that the arbitral tribunal conducted the hearing very well and with a high level of expertise. “You can’t really ask for anything better, more professional, more serious.”
At a state party conference in early May 2021, the Greens decided to initiate expulsion proceedings against the Tübingen town hall chief, who was controversial because of his provocations. In November, the state executive of the Greens had applied for the 49-year-old to be expelled from the party.
The procedure is also of great importance because the election of the mayor in Tübingen is due in autumn. Palmer wants to run as an independent candidate.