Politics · Germany · 22 hrs ago
Bavarian SPD district calls for Gerhard Schröder’s expulsion
Gerhard Schröder, Germany’s chancellor from 1998 to 2005, remains friends with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After Schröder visited Putin in Moscow for his birthday, the SPD district of Upper Palatinate voted unanimously to urge the party’s national leadership to seek Schröder’s expulsion.
The district said his closeness to Putin conflicts with the party’s values and harms its credibility.
SPD leaders in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg also said a new expulsion process should be considered, though they noted that success is uncertain.
Their concerns include Schröder’s visit and his supervisory board role at Russian retailer Hyperglobus.
The SPD tried to expel him before, but that process failed in 2023.
The party’s national leadership is being asked to start a new process; the sources do not say whether it has agreed to do so.
Two senior German Social Democratic Party (SPD) leaders called for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to face another party expulsion procedure after he visited Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The SPD district association in Upper Palatinate unanimously backed a motion urging the party executive to seek Schröder’s expulsion.
The calls followed Schröder’s visit to Putin’s birthday gathering in Moscow and his continued public closeness to the Russian leader.
SPD leaders said Schröder’s conduct conflicted with the party’s values and damaged its credibility.
A previous attempt to expel Schröder failed in 2023, and party figures said a new procedure would face high hurdles.
- Who
- Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor, and leaders of the SPD.
- What
- SPD figures called for a new procedure to expel Schröder from the party.
- When
- The calls were reported on October 10, 2026, after Schröder’s visit to Putin’s birthday gathering.
- Where
- The visit took place in Moscow; the SPD district motion was passed in Upper Palatinate, Bavaria.
- Why
- Critics said Schröder’s closeness to Putin conflicted with SPD values and harmed the party’s credibility.
SPD leaders calling for expulsion
Schröder and supporters of retaining his party membership
Party consequences
SPD leaders calling for expulsion
The SPD leaders called for a new expulsion procedure, saying Schröder’s conduct was unacceptable.
Schröder and supporters of retaining his party membership
Schröder has retained his friendship with Putin; the articles do not report a response from him to the new calls.
Ein Altkanzler, der auf Geburtstagspartys von Kriegsverbrechern geht, macht sich nicht nur für die SPD unmöglich.
Schröder ist eine einzige Schande für das ganze Land.
Wenn es eine Chance gibt, sollte es versucht werden.
Die herzliche Umarmung von Schröder und Putin in Moskau empört mich zutiefst und wühlt mich auf.
An earlier SPD party disciplinary procedure seeking Schröder’s expulsion failed.
Putin received Schröder at his home in Moscow on Putin’s birthday.
SPD leaders in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria publicly called for a new expulsion procedure.
The SPD district association in Upper Palatinate unanimously adopted a motion urging the party executive to seek Schröder’s expulsion.
- Former chancellor
- Gerhard Schröder
- Russian president
- Vladimir Putin
- SPD district
- Upper Palatinate, Bavaria
- Motion
- Unanimously adopted at the district party conference
- Previous expulsion attempt
- Failed in 2023
- Visit location
- Moscow
Sources
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