Kai Wegner (born 15 September 1972) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as Governing Mayor of Berlin since April 2023. He served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 2005 to 2021. In 2019, he became the chairman of the CDU in Berlin.
Kai Wegner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Wegner in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governing Mayor of Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 27 April 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Franziska Giffey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union in Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 18 May 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Secretary |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Monika Grütters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 30 September 2021 – 27 April 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Whips |
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| Preceded by | Burkard Dregger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dirk Stettner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Kai Peter Wegner 15 September 1972 Spandau, West Berlin (now Spandau, Berlin, Germany) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union (from 1989) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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| Website | Official website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service |  Bundeswehr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1993–1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit |  Air Force (Luftwaffe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education
editWegner was born 1972 in West Berlin and became an insurance salesman.[1][2]
Political career
editMember of the German Parliament, 2005–2021
editWegner joined the CDU in 1989 and served as vice chair of the party in Berlin from 2000 to 2002.[3]
Wegner was a member of the German Bundestag from the 2005 until 2021, representing Berlin's Spandau district. In parliament, he served on the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy from 2005 until 2013 before moving to the Committee on Building, Housing, Urban Development and Local Government and the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. In this capacity, he was his parliamentary group's spokesperson on building and housing since 2018.
From 2011 until 2016, Wegner served as secretary general of the CDU in Berlin, under the leadership of chairman Frank Henkel. In May 2019 he succeeded Monika Grütters as chair of the CDU in Berlin.[4]
Member of the State Parliament of Berlin, 2021–present
editIn October 2020, Wegner announced his candidacy for Governing Mayor of Berlin in the 2021 state elections;[5] he eventually lost against Franziska Giffey. He has since been serving as his parliamentary group's chairperson and thereby the leader of the opposition.[6]
Wegner was appointed as CDU delegate to the Federal Conventions for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2022.[7]
Mayor of Berlin, 2023–present
editFollowing the large gains made by the CDU in the 2023 Berlin state election, Wegner became Berlin’s first conservative mayor in 22 years and formed the Wegner senate.[8]
Other activities
edit- Development and Peace Foundation (SEF), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2023)[9]
- Foundation for the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace, Member of the Council (since 2018)[10]
- Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trade Union of the Police (GdP), Member
- Hertha BSC, Member
Political positions
editIn June 2017, Wegner voted against his parliamentary group's majority and in favor of Germany's introduction of same-sex marriage.[11]
Ahead of the Christian Democrats' leadership election, Wegner first endorsed in 2020 Friedrich Merz and later Jens Spahn to succeed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as the party's chair.[12][13] For the 2021 national elections, he later endorsed Markus Söder as the Christian Democrats' joint candidate to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel.[14]
When Merz argued in 2023 that the Christian Democrats may look to work together with the far right Alternative for Germany at the municipal level, Wegner sought to distance himself from that suggestion, arguing on Twitter that "the CDU cannot, doesn't want to, and will not cooperate with a party whose business model is hate, division and exclusion."[15]
In April 2024, he condemned a conference of pro-Palestinian activists in Berlin held during Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, saying that "Berlin does not tolerate antisemitism, hatred, and incitement against Jews."[16]
Personal life
editWegner lives in Spandau, Berlin.[17] He is Protestant, divorced, and has two children with his second wife and one with his first wife.
References
edit- ^ "Kai Wegner". CDU/CSU-Fraktion. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Kai Wegner". Deutscher Bundestag. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ Fahrun, Joachim (22 March 2019). "Berlins CDU-Vize Kai Wegner bestätigt seine Kandidatur um den Landesvorsitz offiziell". www.morgenpost.de (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Deutscher Bundestag – Kai Wegner". Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ Sam Fleming and Guy Chazan (9 October 2020), Kai Wegner: „Ja, ich will Regierender Bürgermeister werden" Berliner Morgenpost.
- ^ Sabine Bieler (30 September 2021), Vier Tage nach der Abgeordnetenhauswahl: Saleh und Wegner als Fraktionschefs in Berlin wiedergewählt Der Tagesspiegel.
- ^ Wahl des Bundespräsidenten: Berliner CDU-Fraktion bestimmt Mitglieder für Bundesversammlung Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Berlin's first conservative mayor in 22 years takes office". AP News. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Board of Trustees Development and Peace Foundation (SEF).
- ^ Council Foundation for the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace.
- ^ Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle Die Welt, 30 June 2017.
- ^ Jan Heidtmann (13 February 2020), Vorsitz der Bundespartei: Berliner CDU-Chef spricht sich für Merz aus Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- ^ Hans Monath (25 July 2020), Berliner CDU gibt Empfehlung ab: Spahn und Söder – ein Führungsduo in der Union? Der Tagesspiegel.
- ^ Kanzlerkandidatur der Union: Machtkampf auf der Zielgeraden Tagesschau, 19 April 2021.
- ^ Hans von der Burchard (23 July 2023), German center-right leader mulls cooperation with far right at municipal level Politico Europe.
- ^ "German police shut down pro-Palestinian conference". Deutsche Welle. 13 April 2024.
- ^ Christine Richter (18 May 2019), Kai Wegner – das ist der Mann, der Berlin einen will Berliner Morgenpost.