senate
Wegner on his relationship: “That will happen in 2024”
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) entered into a relationship with Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch in autumn 2023. photo
© Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and Education Senator Günther-Wünsch recently made their love public. The relationship is often critically evaluated. Now Wegner speaks out.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner spoke publicly for the first time about his relationship with Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (both CDU) and defended it.
“What actually happened? Two people fell in love with each other. And because these two people have business dealings with each other, they thought about declaring it publicly,” said Wegner at the New Year’s reception of the Spandau CDU district association. “After careful consideration, we also said to ourselves, this is possible, this is possible in Berlin, this is possible in Berlin in 2024.”
Are there conflicts of interest?
Wegner emphasized that he had selected the senators based on their competence. Günther-Wünsch has proven in recent years that she is an absolute expert in educational issues. And after eight months in office, she is already proving to be Berlin’s best education senator in many, many years.
Regarding possible conflicts of interest at work, Wegner said he could not make decisions alone in many areas, from firing Senate members to drawing up the budget. “Sometimes I wish I could. But the reality is completely different.” With regard to both points, the relationship was critically assessed in the media.
Wegner and Günther-Wünsch announced through their lawyer on Friday that they had decided to enter into a relationship in the fall of 2023. The Greens and the Left, among others, doubted that both Senate members could separate private and professional matters clearly enough and warned of conflicts of interest.