Former Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) asserted that she was a better governing mayor than her successor, Kai Wegner (CDU). When asked about this by Der Tagesspiegel, she responded with an affirmative, citing “sense of responsibility, competence, and professionalism” as reasons for her evaluation.
Giffey criticized the CDU, stating that they had made many promises that were never kept. Furthermore, she pointed to recent events that caused irritation, specifically referencing Wegner’s tennis match which took place during a power outage earlier this year. She suggested that many Christdemocrats were disappointed and plans to address this during the upcoming Berlin House of Representatives election in September.
The SPD politician also issued a warning regarding a potential coalition including the Linke party. Giffey claimed that if the Linke were to take on governmental responsibility, she would fundamentally redefine the issue of property ownership, which she believes would lead to investors and businesses withdrawing from Berlin. Despite this caution, Giffey did not rule out a coalition with the Linke, though she emphasized that “the only thing I will always rule out is an alliance with the AfD.”
Giffey served as the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 2021 to 2023. Since then, she has served as a Senator for Economy, Energy, and Businesses. With the imminent election for the House of Representatives, she hopes to secure a direct mandate in the Neukölln district of Rudow. When asked whether she intends to remain the Senator for Economy after the election, Giffey responded: “I am proud of what we have achieved, and I am not going to downplay it. We need people who can continue to drive this forward with strength and experience. I am willing to contribute to that.”
