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Not to be confused with Kai Wagner.

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.

Early life and education

Wegner was born 1972 in West Berlin and became an insurance salesman.[1][2]

Political career

Member of the German Parliament, 2005–2021

Wegner 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

In 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

Following 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

Political positions

In 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

Wegner lives in Spandau, Berlin.[17] He is Protestant, divorced, and has two children.

References

  1. ^ "Kai Wegner". CDU/CSU-Fraktion. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Kai Wegner". Deutscher Bundestag. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Deutscher Bundestag – Kai Wegner". Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  5. ^ Sam Fleming and Guy Chazan (9 October 2020), Kai Wegner: „Ja, ich will Regierender Bürgermeister werden" Berliner Morgenpost.
  6. ^ Sabine Bieler (30 September 2021), Vier Tage nach der Abgeordnetenhauswahl: Saleh und Wegner als Fraktionschefs in Berlin wiedergewählt Der Tagesspiegel.
  7. ^ Wahl des Bundespräsidenten: Berliner CDU-Fraktion bestimmt Mitglieder für Bundesversammlung Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, 20 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Berlin's first conservative mayor in 22 years takes office". AP News. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ Board of Trustees Development and Peace Foundation (SEF).
  10. ^ Council Foundation for the Humboldt Forum in the Berlin Palace.
  11. ^ Diese Unionsabgeordneten stimmten für die Ehe für alle Die Welt, 30 June 2017.
  12. ^ Jan Heidtmann (13 February 2020), Vorsitz der Bundespartei: Berliner CDU-Chef spricht sich für Merz aus Süddeutsche Zeitung.
  13. ^ Hans Monath (25 July 2020), Berliner CDU gibt Empfehlung ab: Spahn und Söder – ein Führungsduo in der Union? Der Tagesspiegel.
  14. ^ Kanzlerkandidatur der Union: Machtkampf auf der Zielgeraden Tagesschau, 19 April 2021.
  15. ^ Hans von der Burchard (23 July 2023), German center-right leader mulls cooperation with far right at municipal level Politico Europe.
  16. ^ "German police shut down pro-Palestinian conference". Deutsche Welle. 13 April 2024.
  17. ^ Christine Richter (18 May 2019), Kai Wegner – das ist der Mann, der Berlin einen will Berliner Morgenpost.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Wegner