Lower Saxony SPD leader Stefan Politze resigns after parliament lifts his immunity

Resignation after the immunity vote

Stefan Politze, chair of the SPD parliamentary group in the Lower Saxony state parliament, stepped down on Thursday evening, 8 October, at a faction meeting. The Landtag in Hannover had lifted his immunity the day before, on Wednesday, which cleared the way for further prosecutorial steps such as a possible house search. Politze, 61, said he could not say whether such a search was planned. On Wednesday a planned faction session had been cancelled late in the afternoon, and a smaller group of SPD deputies met that evening, according to an insider who confirmed the gathering to NDR.

Politze said he was firmly convinced of his innocence but felt the strain on the party, the faction and himself. The faction statement quoted him as saying:

The lifting of immunity and the reporting of the past few days about it weigh on the office.

He then announced that he would step down.

That is why I will take political responsibility and resign my office out of responsibility for the faction.

What prosecutors are examining

The Staatsanwaltschaft Hannover is investigating the sale of the grounds of a former clinic in Lehrte in the Region Hannover. According to NDR, information about the purchase price was allegedly passed to one bidder shortly before the tender ended, but this has not been proven. Politze is suspected of aiding anticompetitive agreements, an offence that requires a principal offence to exist. His lawyer, Matthias Waldraff, said the connection to the investigation complex around Steffen Krach is "clear", but that his client cannot imagine Krach committed a criminal offence. Politze said that he currently knows nothing about the reasons for the proceedings and that he has nothing to reproach himself with. He announced full cooperation and said he would give no further statements until he has seen the files.

Other SPD figures under investigation

The case also involves Steffen Krach, who is still serving as president of the Region Hannover and was the SPD lead candidate for the Berlin House of Representatives election. Prosecutors have a initial suspicion against him of accepting bribes in two cases, and Krach denies all allegations. Adis Ahmetovic, a member of the Bundestag since 2021 and chair of the Hannover SPD since 2020, is also under investigation according to his lawyer, Holger Nitz. The prosecutors declined to confirm or deny this, citing investigative tactics, and Nitz said his client's request for access to the files had been refused so far. It remains unclear whether the probe into Ahmetovic is linked to the Lehrte tender. All three politicians deny wrongdoing, and the presumption of innocence applies.

Party reaction and open questions

Olaf Lies, the SPD state chair and minister-president of Lower Saxony, responded in a statement issued by the state party. He said Politze had made the decision so that the faction could continue its work with full strength, and he thanked him for his committed service.

Inside the SPD, reservations about Politze's handling of the affair had grown in recent days, and some members had reportedly wanted him to explain himself to the faction before the resignation. SPD circles outside the parliament described him as no longer tenable. Whether prosecutors will carry out a search and when Politze will receive access to the files remain open.