Gerhard Schröder: SPD politicians demand respect for life’s achievements

This statement is causing a lot of discussion in political Berlin, causing irritation and sometimes strong criticism: There must also be room in the SPD for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, explained the new General Secretary Matthias Miersch.

The former chancellor fell out of favor because of his friendship with the Russian president, not least in the SPD – and should now be part of the party again? Miersch’s argument is controversial, but is also popular with some Social Democrats.

“You don’t have to share all positions in order to have respect for those who used to bear responsibility for our SPD,” said SPD member of the Bundestag Ralf Stegner star. Schröder’s “lasting achievement” is that he kept the country out of the Iraq war, and he also pushed through progressive reforms as chancellor.

“I had a different opinion about Agenda 2010, and about some of the other things he did as a retiree,” said Stegner, “but that probably also applies the other way around.” In the SPD you can have an active argument, that’s a good thing. “This can also be done in solidarity and without publicly insulting your own club.” The opponents are not in our own ranks but in other parties, Miersch made that clear.

Miersch had advocated honoring Schröder’s political achievements and not thinking in “black and white categories”. “We have had two arbitration proceedings against Gerhard Schröder. Both confirmed that he did not behave in a way that was harmful to the party,” said the new SPD general secretary. When asked whether there should be room for Schröder in the SPD, he replied: “Yes. Otherwise Gerhard Schröder would have had to be expelled from the party, but the arbitration courts did not do that.” As a lawyer, Miersch “stands for this legal clarity, even within the party.”

He continued: “I can appreciate his life’s work overall, especially as chairman of the Hanover district, even if I have a fundamentally different view on Putin and the attack on Ukraine.” The former chancellor did a lot for Germany, including staying out of the Iraq war, phasing out cars, the all-day school program and allowing same-sex civil partnerships. “We never did politics together, but I, like many others, was able to build on his work.”

Michael Müller, former SPD head of government in Berlin, sees it similarly. “I share Secretary General Miersch’s view,” Müller told the star. The former Chancellor’s “glorified view” of Putin is “out of the question,” but Schröder did a lot not only for the SPD but also for the country. “It’s not just a legal question about how to deal with this life’s work.”

The FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann reacted much more sharply. “The new general secretary of the SPD, Matthias Miersch, is already a total failure and marks the final failure of the turning point in the SPD,” wrote the Liberal defense expert on X, formerly Twitter. “Of all people, he wants to rehabilitate Gazprom-Gerd. For him, Schröder did not behave in a way that was damaging to the party; his opinion still belongs to the SPD. That says it all. Shameful.”

CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen also expressed clear criticism. “Schröder’s rehabilitation is the prelude to the rehabilitation of Russia in the SPD,” says Röttgen. “Incredible and undignified for a party that fought for security in Europe under Helmut Schmidt and with the highest personal commitment.”

The satirist Jan Böhmermann found only one word for Miersch’s statements about the former chancellor: “Disgusting.”

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who was in office from 1998 to 2005, has come under increasing criticism in recent years because of his closeness to Russian President Putin. Even after the annexation of Crimea and Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the former Chancellor did not move away from Putin. In one star– Interview a few months after the invasion, Schröder said: “I think this war is a mistake on the part of the Russian government. I also said that publicly. But I don’t have to constantly play the outraged role because of it, others can do that.” After the attack, which violated international law, he further demanded “concessions on both sides” and asked “Would a personal distance from Vladimir Putin really benefit anyone?” Several party expulsion proceedings against Schröder were subsequently unsuccessful.