Proximity to Putin
SPD negotiates party expulsion of Gerhard Schröder
The then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) welcomed the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hanover in April 2004. Photo: picture alliance / Holger Hollemann/dpa
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The former chancellor, once the face of the SPD, has long since fallen out of favor with many comrades. Because he does not clearly distance himself from Russia despite the Ukraine war, he faces consequences.
The SPD sub-district Region Hannover is negotiating for the first time today about a possible party expulsion of former chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The party received 17 corresponding applications that meet the formal criteria, as the managing director of the SPD district in Hanover, Christoph Matterne, announced. However, a decision by the arbitration commission is not expected on Thursday, and a party exclusion is also considered unlikely within the SPD for legal reasons.
The hearing in the Kurt Schumacher House will take place in public and should last several hours. Schröder himself reportedly does not want to appear in person.
Close friend of the Kremlin boss
The former Chancellor (1998 to 2005) has been criticized for years for his commitment to Russian state-owned companies and is considered a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Against the background of the Ukraine war, the pressure on him continued to increase. Finally, in May, Schröder announced that he was leaving the board of directors of the Russian energy giant Rosneft. He also turned down a nomination for a board position at Gazprom.
Despite the Russian war of aggression, Schröder wants to keep in touch with Putin, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” reported a few days ago. “I will not give up my opportunities to talk to President Putin,” said the former chancellor. According to the report, Schröder said he did not believe in a military solution in Ukraine and asked why the focus was on arms supplies. “The war can only be ended through diplomatic negotiations,” he was quoted as saying.
Arbitration Committee is responsible
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) does not go far enough with Schröder’s statements about the Ukraine war. He told the German Press Agency: “Unfortunately, Gerhard Schröder has not yet spoken out with the necessary clarity against Russia’s brutal, unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. I personally very much regret that.”
With a view to the motions to exclude Schröder from the party, Weil explained that it was appropriate to deal with the matter in a regular procedure: “There is an arbitration commission in the SPD that acts according to the principles of the rule of law.”
The arbitration commission of the SPD sub-district Hannover region is responsible for the party organization procedure because Schröder is a member of the associated SPD local association Oststadt-Zoo. After the sub-district, up to two further instances are possible: the SPD district of Hanover and the SPD Federal Arbitration Commission.