The regional branch of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in Upper Palatinate unanimously supported an initiative to expel former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The reason is his visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his birthday celebration, reported “Spiegel“.
The resolution calls on the party's federal leadership to request “resumption of the disciplinary procedure to expel Gerhard Schröder from the SPD“. The chairwoman of the regional branch, Caroline Wagner, said that the former chancellor's public closeness to Putin was damaging to the party and contradicted its values.
Disputes over the chances of the procedure
The deputy chairmen of the SPD in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, Robin Meszaros and Sebastian Roloff, have also announced the start of new proceedings. Meszaros, however, admits that legally expelling Schröder is difficult. The party's candidate for the parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, Jochen Ott, is also skeptical about the chances of the initiative.
There was already an attempt to expel the former chancellor in 2023, but it ended without result. Then the occasion was his visit to a reception at the Russian embassy in Berlin on the occasion of Victory Day. Schröder was later not invited to the SPD's anniversary events and party conference.
Criticism after meeting with Putin
The Kremlin reported that Putin invited Schröder to his home after learning that the former chancellor was in Moscow on business for the Russian company “Hyperglobus“. Photos from the meeting were published by the Russian side.
The visit also drew criticism from the German government. His spokesman stated that “Putin is solely responsible for the war in Ukraine“ and that his orders were the cause of civilian casualties, families separated, and people killed and injured. Chancellor Friedrich Merz described Schröder's presence at the celebration as deeply immoral, Reuters reported.
SPD leader and German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil also called the visit "completely unacceptable" because of the suffering caused to the Ukrainian population.
Schröder's ties to Russia
Gerhard Schröder was German chancellor between 1998 and 2005. After leaving office, he held senior positions in Russian energy companies and continues to advocate for economic ties with Russia.
In October 2026, Schröder was appointed to the supervisory board of “Hyperglobus“, which develops the activities of the German chain “Globus“ in Russia. Earlier this year, Putin named him as the preferred European mediator for possible negotiations, but the European Union and Merz's government rejected the idea.
Sources: ndr.de, marketscreener.com