Officials of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) have rejected a request to expel former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from the party, due to his close ties to the Russian energy sector and President Vladimir Putin.
The arbitration board of the Hanover branch of the SPD considered 17 requests from party members to initiate proceedings against Schröder.
Schroeder has longstanding ties to Russia's energy sector and refused to fully distance himself from Putin after Russia invaded Ukraine. However, the SPD board determined that his actions did not constitute a violation of the party's rules, the German news agency dpa said.
The possibility of Schröder being expelled was not great because in Germany the expulsion of members of political parties is a complex, demanding and often long process, after which there is often no expulsion.
However, today's decision can be appealed.
Schroeder was the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005, and the leader of the SPD from 1999 to 2004.
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