The CDU is urging the SPD to take action following the former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s status, criticizing the party’s current hesitation. Meanwhile, even within the SPD, some critics express skepticism regarding the possibility of initiating a new internal party procedure against him.
Dennis Radtke, the CDA chairman, told the “Tagesspiegel” that the SPD should definitively resolve the Schröder matter and finally remove him from the party. He heavily criticized Schröder, stating that a former Chancellor-who is allegedly too ill to attend an investigation committee-while supposedly celebrating Putin’s birthday and taking on new side jobs in Russia, is a disgrace to the country. Radtke questioned how the SPD could possibly defend this case of moral collapse.
However, Ulf Kämpfer, the chairman of the SPD in Schleswig-Holstein, expressed caution regarding the launch of any new party exclusion process. Following the failure of previous efforts, he stated to the “Tagesspiegel” that he remains skeptical. Kämpfer added that the paths of the SPD and Gerhard Schröder had already diverged many years ago, suggesting that advice from other parties is unnecessary, as he is simultaneously the mayor of Kiel and a top SPD candidate for the regional election. While finding Schröder’s attendance at Vladimir Putin’s birthday celebration undeniably cynical-though not surprising-Kämpfer noted that Schröder has been living in his own world for a long time.
Previously, Robin Mesarosch and Sebastian Roloff, the co-chairs of the SPD in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, had advocated for Schröder’s expulsion. Furthermore, the SPD district in Oberpfalz voted unanimously for the expulsion during a recent party conference on Saturday.
Pierre Orthen, the chairman of the SPD local club in Leutenbach, Baden-Württemberg, also remains skeptical about formal action. Orthen stated to the “Tagesspiegel” that his local branch has not planned a new internal procedural action because they currently believe that Schröder’s visit cannot be sanctioned through such a process. Nevertheless, Orthen characterized Schröder’s behavior as maximally offensive in a moral sense.
Orthen also directed criticism toward the SPD foreign policy specialist Ralf Stegner for having praised Schröder’s visit to Putin. He found it appropriate to critically examine Stegner’s statements, noting that he has repeatedly minimized or even positively evaluated Schröder’s private travel and its implications for the federal government’s foreign policy position. This raises questions about the extent to which Stegner’s stance upholds the special responsibility expected of a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
