Gerhard Schröder has been heavily criticized for his connections to Russia. The SPD wants to throw him out of the party. The ex-Chancellor will not attend the expulsion procedure, but he will not let it pass him by without saying a word.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder speaks for the first time about the SPD expulsion proceedings against him. "I look at the party order process with composure. I am and will remain a social democrat," Schröder told the "Spiegel". "I have never voted for anything other than the SPD in my political life. That will also be the case in the future, even if one or the other of the SPD leadership is making it a little difficult for me at the moment. My basic political stance will not change. "
Exclusion proceedings against the former chancellor are currently pending at the SPD in Hanover. Several associations have applied to throw Schröder out of the party. However, the oral hearing of the SPD sub-district Hannover region was postponed. Because a member of the arbitration commission was ill, the appointment on June 15 could not take place as planned, said the managing director of the Hanover party district, Christoph Matterne. The party-public hearing is now scheduled to take place on June 22 (1:30 p.m.) in the Kurt Schumacher House in Hanover. It is unclear whether Schröder himself will appear at the hearing. The "Spiegel" reported last week that the former chancellor would stay away from the appointment and would not be legally represented.
Schröder has been criticized for years for his commitment to Russian state-owned companies. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the pressure on him had recently increased. 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.
Schröder decided in May to give up his position at the Russian oil company Rosneft. Shortly thereafter, the former chancellor also declared that "a long time ago" he had given up a position on the supervisory board of the gas company Gazprom that had been offered to him.
