Bezirksparteitag: Forderungen nach Schröder-Rauswurf in der SPD

After Gerhard Schröder's visit to the birthday celebration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, there are renewed calls within the SPD to expel the former chancellor. The Bavarian SPD district of Oberpfalz unanimously approved a motion at its district party congress, as reported by district chairwoman Carolin Wagner. The incident stems from Schröder's recent statements branding Putin as a "war monger."

Earlier, the "Tagesspiegel" had reported on this. Similarly, SPD Landesvorstehende (regional leaders) from Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria also supported the idea of a party expulsion. Robin Mesarosch, co-chairman of the SPD in Baden-Württemberg, stated that a chancellor who attends birthday parties of war criminals harms the SPD's prospects.

Sebastian Roloff, co-landeshauptmann (state leader) of Bavaria, mentioned that while the success of a new party expulsion procedure is uncertain, it should be attempted if possible. The Oberpfalz district party resolution calls on the SPD party executive to immediately initiate another party order procedure against Gerhard Schröder with the aim of expelling him from the SPD.

This is specifically due to Schröder's supervisory board membership in the Russian trading company Hyperglobus and his visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his birthday. The resolution argues that Schröder's close association with Putin constitutes a "serious contradiction to the fundamental values of Social Democracy" and damages the party's credibility.

Wagner highlighted the Russian aggression "with thousands of deaths, abducted children, and war crimes." The Oberpfalz district party seems to have grown weary of Schröder's longstanding friendship with Putin, which began during his chancellorship from 1998 to 2005. A first party expulsion procedure against him failed in 2023.