SPD branch in Upper Palatinate calls for new proceedings against Schröder

The Social Democratic Party’s Upper Palatinate branch unanimously backed a call to expel Gerhard Schröder after his visit to Vladimir Putin.

RBC, citing Der Spiegel, reported that the resolution urges the party’s federal leadership to seek renewed disciplinary proceedings. The regional vote does not itself mean that the former German chancellor has been expelled from the SPD.

Branch chair Carolin Wagner said Schröder’s public closeness to the Russian president harmed the party and conflicted with its values. The move followed his attendance at Putin’s birthday celebration in Moscow the previous week.

Representatives of party organisations in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria also supported the initiative. Other SPD figures have questioned the legal prospects of renewed proceedings. The local branch in Leutenbach does not plan to initiate another case, regarding the visit as insufficient grounds for sanctions.

An earlier attempt to expel Schröder failed in 2023. He served as Germany’s chancellor from 1998 to 2005.