SPD not to expel ex German chancellor Schröder

There are no grounds to expel former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder from the centre-left SPD over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a party arbitration committee announced on Monday.

Schröder did not violate the party rules of the SPD by engaging with Russian state-owned companies, meaning there is no basis for expulsion or even reprimand, the committee in the northern German city of Hanover announced.

The decision can be appealed within two weeks.

The committee has been considering the decision for several weeks after 17 motions for expulsion were received from different chapters of the party.

Schröder himself did not appear at hearings and did not send a lawyer.

The former chancellor, who was in office between 1998 and 2005, has been criticized for years for his involvement with Russian state-owned companies and is considered a close personal friend of Putin.

The pressure on Schröder to distance himself from Putin increased after the invasion of Ukraine.

In May, Schröder finally announced that he would leave the supervisory board of the Russian energy giant Rosneft. He also turned down a nomination for a supervisory board position at Gazprom.

But in a recent interview with private broadcaster RTL/ntv, Schröder once again refused to distance himself from Putin. He also advocated putting the controversial Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, which was put on hold in light on the Russian invasion, into operation.

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil said that despite Monday's decision, Schröder was completely politically isolated within the party.

"For us it is clear that politically, Gerhard Schröder is isolated with his positions," he said.

Stephan Weil, state leader of the SPD in Lower Saxony, described it as "regrettable" that Schröder had yet to condemn Putin, adding "harsh and clear criticism of Russian actions would have been expected."