Kai Wegner
Photo: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
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- Sep 21
CDU exits Mecklenburg parliament and loses Berlin as AfD and Die Linke advance
Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected calls to resign after the CDU dropped below the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and lost to Die Linke in Berlin on 20 September 2026.
- Sep 21
Berlin withdraws Olympic bid for 2036, 2040, or 2044 following state election outcome
Berlin leaders announced the withdrawal of the capital's Olympic bid on Thursday, leaving Munich and the Rhine-Ruhr region as the remaining German candidates before the DOSB vote on Saturday.
- Sep 21
AfD wins Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Die Linke takes Berlin as CDU falls below 5% threshold
Alternative for Germany won Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 38.2% while Die Linke secured Berlin with 25.7%, causing the Christian Democratic Union to drop out of a regional parliament for the first time.
- Sep 20
Die Linke wins Berlin state election with over 25% of the vote as CDU and SPD lose ground
Die Linke has taken first place in the 2026 Berlin state election behind lead candidate Elif Eralp, while the governing CDU and SPD suffered losses amid shifting voter alignments and strong youth support for the left.
- Sep 6
Rhysida leaks 5.8 terabytes of Berlin government data after €2 million ransom refusal
Berlin authorities established a central crisis unit on Saturday after ransomware collective Rhysida published 1.44 million municipal files, including emergency protocols and employee records, on the dark web.
- Sep 4
Rhysida leaks 5.79 terabytes of Berlin city data after 2-million-euro ransom deadline expires
The Rhysida extortion syndicate published 1.4 million municipal files on the dark web after Berlin authorities refused to pay a 30-bitcoin ransom following an August network breach.
- Aug 24
Wahl-O-Mat launches with 38 theses ahead of Berlin state election on 20 September
The Federal Agency for Civic Education has activated its comparison tool for 2.5 million voters across Berlin, where 17 parties contest the Abgeordnetenhaus on 20 September.
- Aug 22
Die Linke takes lead in Berlin election poll ahead of CDU and AfD
A Forsa survey for t-online places Die Linke at 22 percent four weeks ahead of Berlin's 20 September state election, with CDU and AfD tied at 18 percent.
- Aug 19
Berlin administration faces political fallout after hackers leak 5.8 terabytes of city data
The Rhysida ransomware group released 1.44 million administrative files on the darknet after the Berlin Senate refused a 30-Bitcoin ransom demand, prompting calls for resignations ahead of state elections.
- Jul 29
Berlin mayor proposes state-supervised Islamic education to prevent radicalization after deadly attack
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner calls for state-supervised Islamic religious education in schools, framing it as a shield against radicalization days after a fatal Islamist attack in the capital.
- Jul 27
Berlin Pride attacker was under police surveillance; Polish woman dead, 31 injured
On Saturday evening, a van rammed into Berlin's Pride parade, killing a 65-year-old Polish woman and injuring 31. The suspect, a known Islamist under police surveillance, attacked with a machete and was shot dead by police the next day.
- Jul 26
One dead, at least 14 injured as van rams Berlin Pride parade; Islamist suspect identified but not yet arrested
A white van drove into crowds celebrating Christopher Street Day at Berlin's Tiergarten park Saturday evening, killing a woman and wounding between 14 and 17 people. Police identified a suspect from the Islamist milieu known to authorities, but the man has not been arrested yet.
- Jul 13
Berlin's CDU picks Finance Senator Stefan Evers as lead candidate after Wegner steps back
The Berlin CDU state executive unanimously elected Finance Senator Stefan Evers as its lead candidate for the 20 September Abgeordnetenhaus election, after Governing Mayor Kai Wegner withdrew over a months-long dispute about his crisis management during a January blackout.
- Jul 6
Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner resigns as CDU lead candidate after contradictory claims about call with Chancellor Merz
Kai Wegner withdrew his candidacy for the September 20 Abgeordnetenhaus election, the latest twist in a months-long scandal over his crisis management during January's Berlin power outage.
- Jul 4
Berlin fire department swears in 400 recruits as call-outs hit record 558,000
Around 400 people began their training with the Berlin fire department in a ceremony outside the House of Representatives, while the department reported a record 558,000 operations in 2025.
- Jul 1
Die Linke overtakes CDU in Berlin election poll, leading for the first time since 2023
Two and a half months before the Berlin Abgeordnetenhaus election, a new poll puts Die Linke at 20 percent, while the Christian Democrats of incumbent mayor Kai Wegner fall to fourth place.
- Jul 1
Berlin mayor demands tighter assembly law after Ashura demonstration with tied‑up children
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner wants the city’s assembly law tightened after an Ashura procession featured chants of “Death to the unbelievers” and a re‑enactment with children bound together.
- Jun 29
AfD kicks off Berlin election campaign with attacks on mayor over 'Tennisgate'
Berlin's AfD lead candidate Kristin Brinker launched her party's campaign for the September state election with sharp personal attacks on Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, invoking the January power outage and his tennis game that became known as 'Tennisgate'.
- Jun 11
East German state premiers hold special conference on aerospace and defence at BER airport
The state premiers of eastern Germany convened at Berlin Brandenburg Airport today to coordinate investment in drone technology, rail links, and aerospace manufacturing, with federal officials in attendance.
- Jun 10
Berlin's CDU renominates Kai Wegner as lead candidate with 92.6 percent, despite internal criticism
Berlin's governing mayor secured his party's nomination for the September election, but a surprise challenger and recent controversies signal unease within his own ranks.
