Status: 03/16/2022 08:00 a.m
Former Chancellor Schröder relinquishes honorary citizenship of the city of Hanover. Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Weil is disappointed. The city council has had mixed reactions.
The former Chancellor published his letter on his profile on a career network. (Screenshot)
Gerhard Schröder informed the Lord Mayor of Hanover, Belit Onay (Greens), on Tuesday in a letter that he also published in career network LinkedIn published. It says: “I received your letter of March 11, 2022. After that, the City Council of Hanover should revoke my honorary citizenship.” The former chancellor apparently wants to preempt this step: “I irrevocably renounce the honorary citizenship of the city of Hanover,” Schröder continues. In the mayor’s office, people are keeping a low profile, because the letter from the former chancellor hasn’t even arrived there yet.
Different reactions in the city council
The chairman of the SPD parliamentary group, Lars Kelich, thinks that Schröder’s renunciation of honorary citizenship demands respect. The former chancellor preferred to give the honor himself than to be put on display in the city council. The CDU parliamentary group leader Felix Semper would have thought it better if Schröder had renounced his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the lucrative supervisory board position at the Russian gas company Rosneft. But the whole thing was a tragedy, he said.
AUDIO: Because to Schröder: “Not good for the city of Hanover!” (1min)
Prime Minister Weil: “I’m sorry overall”
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD), himself a former mayor of Hanover, said: “I’m sorry about that overall. It’s not good for the city of Hanover and it’s not good for Gerhard Schröder.” Weil had repeatedly suggested to his predecessor, Schroeder, that he step down from his duties in Russian companies. According to the city of Hanover, a legal check is now being carried out to determine whether the declaration of waiver is sufficient or whether a formal administrative act is required to revoke the honorary citizenship. A decision on the withdrawal of honorary citizenship should be made on March 31.
friendship with Putin
Schröder is considered a longtime friend of President Putin. He is also the head of the supervisory board at the Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft and holds management positions in the natural gas pipeline projects Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. Anti-corruption groups have therefore recently called for him to be included in the lobby register. The commissioning of Nord Stream 2 has now been put on hold by the federal government. Schröder had caused a stir just a few days ago when he traveled to Russia to speak to Putin about the war in Ukraine. However, not much is known about the results and background.
Schröder “another part of the war machine”
The city of Hanover had previously announced that it intends to continue with the procedure for depriving Schröder of his honorary citizenship. The SPD in the town hall is also sticking with it: as long as Schröder continues to be the head of the supervisory board at the Russian company Rosneft, he will continue to be part of the war machine, said parliamentary group leader Kelich.
Schröder has been an honorary citizen of Hanover since 2006.
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