Gerhard Schröder has already lost his office as former chancellor. Many comrades want to get rid of him - an arbitration commission in Hanover is now discussing expulsion from the SPD or other penalties for being close to Putin. A decision is not expected until the next few weeks.
There is still no result in the SPD proceedings for expelling former chancellor Gerhard Schröder from the party because of his closeness to Russia. The three-person arbitration commission of the SPD in the Hanover region wants to consult internally on Friday after the applicants were heard today, said the managing director of the SPD district of Hanover, Christoph Matterne. A decision will be made over the next three weeks - an announcement in the first week of August is considered realistic.
17 applications for party order proceedings against Schröder had been received from the SPD. The 78-year-old himself did not appear at the two-and-a-half-hour trial at the Kurt Schumacher House in Hanover. He was also not represented by a lawyer. Once a decision has been made, those involved can appeal within two weeks. As the chairman of the arbitration commission, Heiger Scholz, explained, the applicants were given the opportunity to justify their claims during the hearing. These were then "intensively discussed". "We will now use the time provided for in the arbitration rules to come to a final decision."
The former Chancellor has been criticized for years for his ties to Russia and his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Even after the Russian attack on Ukraine in February, many party members believe that Schröder has not distanced himself sufficiently from Russia. However, the legal hurdles for a party penalty or even an exclusion are very high. Schröder's exclusion from the SPD is therefore considered unlikely within the party. Should the Arbitration Commission come to the conclusion that Schröder has caused serious damage to the party, a reprimand or a temporary suspension of the member's rights would also be possible as party penalties.
Just a few days ago, Schröder announced that he wanted to keep in touch with Putin, as the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" reported. "I will not give up my opportunities to talk to President Putin," said the former chancellor. According to the report, Schröder stated that he did not believe in a military solution in Ukraine. It is questionable to focus on the supply of weapons. "The war can only be ended through diplomatic negotiations," he was quoted as saying.
Such statements, which do not clearly condemn the attack on Ukraine, are a thorn in the side of the SPD party leadership. Party leader Saskia Esken suggested that Schröder leave the SPD in April. Esken's deputy Thomas Kutschaty now told the "Rheinische Post": "An ex-Chancellor who has reasonable grounds to suspect that he can be bought from a warmonger harms himself, his party and our democracy."
Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil had previously emphasized that Schröder's statements about the Ukraine war did not go far enough for him. He said: "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."
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.
