Fourth Wowereit senate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fourth Senate of Klaus Wowereit
Senate Wowereit IV

25th Senate of Berlin
2011–2014
Klaus Wowereit in February 2012
Date formed24 November 2011
Date dissolved10 December 2014
People and organisations
Governing MayorKlaus Wowereit
Deputy MayorFrank Henkel
Michael Müller
No. of ministers8
Member partiesSocial Democratic Party
Christian Democratic Union
Status in legislatureGrand coalition government
86 / 149
Opposition partiesAlliance 90/The Greens
The Left
Pirate Party
History
Election(s)2011 Berlin state election
Legislature term(s)17th Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin
PredecessorThird Wowereit senate
SuccessorFirst Müller senate

The fourth Wowereit senate was the state government of Berlin between 2011 and 2014, sworn in on 24 November 2011 after Klaus Wowereit was elected as Governing Mayor by the members of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin. It was the 25th Senate of Berlin.

It was formed after the 2011 Berlin state election by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Excluding the Governing Mayor, the senate comprised eight members, called Senators. Three were members of the SPD, four were members of the CDU, and one was an independent politician (nominated by the SPD).

After Wowereit's resignation as Governing Mayor, the fourth Wowereit senate was succeeded by the first Müller senate on 11 December 2014.

Formation[edit]

The previous Senate was a coalition government of the SPD and The Left led by Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit.

The election took place on 18 September 2011, and resulted in losses for both governing parties. The SPD remained in first place while The Left fell from third to fourth. The opposition CDU and Greens improved, and the Pirate Party debuted at 9%. As a result of their losses, the SPD and The Left fell short of a majority, bringing the coalition to an end.

The SPD initially began exploratory talks with the Greens; Wowereit later said that the Greens were their preferred coalition partner. However, the SPD withdrew from discussions on 5 October, citing irreconciliable disagreements over the proposed extension of the Bundesautobahn 100, which the SPD supported and the Greens opposed.[1] They instead began negotiations with the CDU for a grand coalition. The parties presented their coalition pact on 16 November.[2]

Wowereit was re-elected as Governing Mayor by the Abgeordnetenhaus on 24 November, winning 84 votes out of 148 cast.[3] His Senate was sworn in on 1 December.

Composition[edit]

The composition of the Senate at the time of its dissolution was as follows:

Portfolio Senator Party Took office Left office
Governing Mayor of Berlin
Senate Chancellery
Klaus Wowereit
born (1953-10-01)1 October 1953
SPD 24 November 2011 10 December 2014
Deputy Mayor
Senator for Interior and Sport
Frank Henkel
born (1963-11-16)16 November 1963
CDU 1 December 2011 10 December 2014
Deputy Mayor
Senator for Urban Development and Environment
Michael Müller
born (1964-12-09)9 December 1964
SPD 1 December 2011 10 December 2014
Senator for Economics, Technology and Research Sybille von Obernitz
born (1962-03-11)11 March 1962
Ind.
(CDU
nomination)
1 December 2011 11 September 2012
Cornelia Yzer
born (1961-07-28)28 July 1961
CDU 27 September 2012 10 December 2014
Senator for Education, Youth and Science Sandra Scheeres
born (1970-02-15)15 February 1970
SPD 1 December 2011 10 December 2014
Senator for Finance Ulrich Nußbaum
born (1957-04-10)10 April 1957
Ind.
(SPD
nomination)
1 December 2011 10 December 2014
Senator for Health and Social Affairs Mario Czaja
born (1975-09-21)21 September 1975
CDU 1 December 2011 10 December 2014
Senator for Labour, Integration and Women Dilek Kolat
born (1967-02-07)7 February 1967
SPD 1 December 2011 10 December 2014
Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection Michael Braun
born (1956-01-21)21 January 1956
CDU 1 December 2011 12 December 2011
Thomas Heilmann
born (1964-07-16)16 July 1964
CDU 12 January 2012 10 December 2014

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Merkel's CDU could get unexpected boost in Berlin". Reuters. 6 October 2011.
  2. ^ "City of Berlin gets 'grand coalition' government". The Local. 16 November 2011.
  3. ^ "A clear majority elects Wowereit as mayor". Die Zeit (in German). 24 November 2011.

External links[edit]