SPD factions call for Gerhard Schröder's expulsion after Putin birthday visit

After Gerhard Schröder attended President Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday celebration, several SPD bodies in Germany renewed demands to bar the former chancellor from the party. At the Oberpfalz district conference, chairwoman Carolin Wagner presented a unanimous resolution urging the national executive to launch a fresh exclusion process, pointing to Schröder’s recent comments calling Putin a “war-maker” and his supervisory role at the Russian chain Hyperglobus.

State co-chairs Robin Mesarosch (Baden-Württemberg) and Sebastian Roloff (Bavaria) condemned the visit as incompatible with the SPD’s core principles, while also noting the difficulty of achieving a successful expulsion after the 2023 attempt collapsed. Other politicians, including CDU leader Friedrich Merz and SPD head Lars Klingbeil, expressed strong disapproval of Schröder’s actions. Party candidate Jochen Ott warned that procedural hurdles make a new exclusion unlikely, though he suggested any chance should be pursued. The debate underscores internal tensions over the party’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine.