Peoplebach (dpa / lsw) - After the decision of an SPD arbitration commission for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to remain in the party, the Southwest SPD asked him to voluntarily withdraw. SPD head of state Andreas Stoch said on Thursday in Stuttgart that imposing a party penalty rightly has high legal hurdles, because one is a party that is open to discussion, in which other opinions should also be heard in the future without being penalized. "However, I still think it's appropriate to leave the party if actions and opinions are no longer in line with social democratic values. That also applies to Gerhard Schröder."
The head of the local association ofleutebach (Rems-Murr-Kreis), Pierre Orthen, said he had wished for a different outcome of the process. Nevertheless, it was clear from the outset that a complaint or even an exclusion for legal reasons would have been rather unlikely.
SPD official Lennart Knab, who is also involved in the process for the local SPD association, recommended Schröder to voluntarily leave the party. It is difficult to imagine that Schröder would remain a member after this judgment as if nothing had happened.
It had previously become known that Schröder's proximity to Russia would not result in a party penalty from the SPD. The arbitration commission of the SPD district of Hanover rejected applications from several SPD branches in the second instance in a decision that was available to the German Press Agency on Thursday. Several media had previously reported about it.
Schröder is considered a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has worked for Russian energy companies for years. With regard to Russia's attack on Ukraine, Schröder stated that it was Russia's responsibility to end the war. However, the ties to Russia should not be completely severed.
