Politics

Berlin is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with a population of 3,460,725 (as of December 2010). On the day of German reunification, 3 October 1990, Berlin became an independent city-state, like Hamburg and Bremen. Reunified Germany consists of a total of 16 federal states, known as “Länder.” Berlin is divided into 12 boroughs, which were amalgamated from what had been 23 boroughs on 1 January 2001.

Berlin is both Germany’s capital and one of the country’s 16 federal states. The city is committed to its role as host and partner to the federal government’s institutions and the other federal states, as well as to diplomatic missions, the media, organizations, and associations. The Governing Mayor of Berlin holds the city’s highest office and is also the federal state’s premier. more »

Berlin is governed by a “Governing Mayor,” who is both the city’s mayor and the federal state’s premier. This office is currently held by Klaus Wowereit.

Seat of the federal government, Berlin is the hub of German national, regional, and local politics. more »

The state government consists of

• the Governing Mayor, Klaus Wowereit (SPD)
• 8 Senators

The House of Representativesis elected every five years. It elects the Governing Mayor, who appoints the other members of the Senate. The next elections will be held in 2016.

Senators of the current state government:

• Senator for Economics, Technology and Research Sybille von Obernitz
• Senator for Education, Youth and Science Sandra Scheeres (SPD)
• Mayor and Senator for the Interior and Sport Frank Henkel (CDU)
• Senator for Health and Social Services Mario Czaja (CDU)
• Senator for Integration, Labour and Women’s Issues Dilek Kolat (SPD)
• Senator for Finance Dr. Ulrich Nussbaum
• Mayor and Senator for Urban Development and the Environment Michael Müller (SPD)
• Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection Thomas Heilmann (CDU)

The Governing Mayor determines the general guidelines of government policy, which must be approved by the House of Representatives, and monitors their observance by the members of the Senate.

The seat of the Governing Mayor and the Senate Chancellery is the (Berlin Town Hall.

Berlin maintains partnerships with 17 cities and cooperates on projects with many other cities around the world, such as Copenhagen, Helsinki, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Seoul, Sofia, Sydney, and Vienna.  more »