The German Social Democrats refuse to expel Schroder.
Officials in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) rejected a request to expel former chancellor Gerhard Schroder from the party over his close ties to the Russian energy sector and President Vladimir Putin.
The arbitration board of the SPD branch in Hanover considered 17 requests from party members to initiate proceedings against the former chancellor.
Schroder has long ties to Russia’s energy sector and refused to fully distance himself from Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine.
However, the SPD board determined that his actions did not constitute a violation of party rules.
The possibility that Schroder would be expelled was not great, since in Germany the expulsion of members of political parties is a complex, demanding and often long process, after which there is often no exemption.
However, today’s decision can be appealed. Schroeder was Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005, and leader of the SPD from 1999 to 2004.
