Because of relations with Putin
Party leader Klingbeil sees ex-Chancellor Schröder “completely isolated” in the SPD
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (centre) has had a good relationship with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (left) for a long time.
© Alexey DRUZHININ / SPUTNIK / AFP
Things are getting tight in his party for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil said that the ex-chancellor was “completely isolated”. Initially, however, no concrete steps were taken against Schröder.
According to chairman Lars Klingbeil, former chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) is completely alone in his party because of his connections to Russia. In a meeting of the SPD board with the state council, it became clear that Schröder was “completely isolated,” said Klingbeil on Thursday. There is no one who “even remotely approves” of Schröder’s behavior or justifies it.
However, the party leadership did not initially take any concrete steps against Schröder. Klingbeil and the SPD co-chair Saskia Esken pointed out that they had written to the ex-chancellor asking him to resign his mandates at Russian energy companies. There is still no answer, said Klingbeil on Thursday. We are now waiting for this and then deciding how to proceed.
SPD branches have launched party order proceedings against Schröder
“I assume that we will get an answer from him in a timely manner,” said the SPD leader. Schröder’s adherence to the mandates is “in no way compatible with the attitude of social democracy”. There was unanimity in the party executive. Klingbeil also expressed personal disappointment with Schröder, in whose office he once worked closely with him.
Klingbeil confirmed that several SPD branches have initiated party order proceedings against Schröder. The first such procedure was received by the responsible arbitration commission in the Hanover region on the initiative of the Heidelberg SPD, and further corresponding applications are to be expected. The SPD federal board could also initiate such a procedure or join ongoing ones. However, Klingbeil did not go into this option.
Gerhard Schröder with close ties to Russia
A party order procedure can entail various penalties up to and including expulsion from the party. Since Schröder has not held any office for a long time apart from his membership in the SPD, the scope for sanctions is limited. However, as an immediate measure, a temporary suspension of membership rights could be ordered by the federal executive board.
SPD party deputy Anke Rehlinger became clear. “If Schröder stays on Putin’s payroll, he can’t stay in the SPD. Period,” she wrote on Twitter.
Faces of war
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Schröder not only maintains a friendly relationship with the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin, but is also chairman of the shareholders’ committee of Nord Stream AG and chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian state energy company Rosneft. Schröder is also running for a post on the board of directors of the state-owned Russian energy company Gazprom.
Schröder-Köpf distances himself from earlier statements by Putin
After the Russian attack in Ukraine began a week ago, Schröder declared that the war had to be ended “as soon as possible”. At the same time, he attributed mistakes to both sides in the relationship between Russia and the West. In the past few days, the pressure on Schröder has increased. Among other things, the Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund canceled his honorary membership, and according to media reports, several companies have withdrawn Schröder from his previous functions for the companies.
Lower Saxony’s Migration Commissioner Doris Schröder-Köpf (SPD) has distanced herself from the Russian President after criticizing her earlier statements about Vladimir Putin. “Putin’s face that we see today was not recognizable back then,” former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s ex-wife told the German Press Agency on Thursday, referring to her encounters with Putin. “This war against Ukraine is a serious breach of international law that cannot be justified by anything.”
Statements by Schröder-Köpf cause criticism
Schröder-Köpf emphasized that she had met Putin a long time ago. “My encounters with Russian President Putin took place at a time when he was receiving a standing ovation in the Bundestag. It was a different time, a time of hope that after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, something would grow together . As a young president, Putin also embodied this hope. That was the feeling at the time,” she said. “That has nothing to do with today, today it’s a different world, unfortunately.”
As the Lower Saxony State Commissioner for Migration and Participation, she is committed to ensuring that refugees from Ukraine also find a safe haven and a home in our state.
The “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” had previously taken up statements by Schröder-Köpf from 2017. In the Russian medium “Sputnik” she described Putin as a smart person who was also open to criticism. Lower Saxony’s state parliament vice president Frank Oesterhelweg (CDU) told the newspaper: “Schröder-Köpf is no longer acceptable as a migration officer.” He finds it difficult to imagine how they greet Ukrainian refugees. “Actually, she has to apologize to them.”
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Weil announced that the State Chancellery is sticking with Schröder-Köpf as migration officer. The SPD politician has held the honorary post since April 2013.