Germany: the procedure to exclude ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from the SPD has begun
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is criticized for his ties to Russia and Vladimir Putin.
© AP - Burhan Ozbilici
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
With the invasion of Ukraine, social democrats have decided to separate from their former leader, criticized for his closeness to Vladimir Putin.
Seventeen requests for exclusion from the SPD have been filed.
The procedure began on Wednesday in Hanover, the stronghold of Gerhard Schröder.
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With our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
"
The
mea culpa
, it's not really my thing
".
In an interview with the
New York Times
a few weeks ago, Gerhard Schröder made it clear that one should not expect self-criticism of his loyalty to Vladimir Putin.
The former chancellor, who had criticized Ukraine shortly before the Russian invasion, recently said he wanted to maintain his ties with the head of the Kremlin.
Gerhard Schröder certainly renounced his mandates within Russian groups after numerous criticisms, no doubt for fear of appearing on the list of people hit by sanctions.
► To read also: Germany: ex-chancellor Gerhard Schröder resigns from the Russian oil group Rosneft
The charismatic former leader of the SPD who brought his party back to power after the long reign of conservative Helmut Kohl has become a pariah in his party and beyond.
Schröder's close ties to Vladimir Putin date back to when the Russian leader was applauded during a speech in the German parliament.
But Schröder's friendship has not wavered since.
The Social Democrat became a Gazprom lobbyist a few months after leaving the Chancellery.
Many social democrats have long tolerated this commitment willy-nilly.
But the war in Ukraine has caused a break for many.
The demands for the exclusion of Schröder's party want to close a painful chapter.
But their chances of succeeding are uncertain.
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