Berlin mayor's romantic tennis date during blackout causes political outcry

Berlin’s mayor is facing mounting political pressure amid a fresh scandal following the unprecedented blackout that plunged large parts of the German capital into darkness, after media reports alleged he left out the fact that he went on a romantic outing during the crisis.

Opposition parties in Berlin’s state parliament are now calling on Mayor Kai Wegner to resign, accusing him of playing tennis while residents endured freezing temperatures during a five-day power outage, as the Berlin-based outlet Die Brandenburger reports.

It cites the public broadcaster RBB's report from January 7, which stated that after being informed of the blackout on January 3, Wegner went to play tennis with his romantic partner, Katharina Günther-Wünsch, Berlin’s senator for education. 

The mayor later confirmed the report in an interview with another German media outlet. “I played tennis from 1 to 2 p.m. because I wanted to clear my head. I was reachable the whole time … my phone was on loud. I went straight back afterwards and continued working,” Wegner told the German newspaper Welt.

The controversy emerged as Wegner had given a different account to journalists. On January 4, when questioned about his whereabouts, he said: “I was at home. I literally locked myself in my home office and coordinated things from there.”

Wegner, whose conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) governs Berlin in coalition with the Social Democrats, is now under fire from opposition parties across the political spectrum.

Maximilian Schirmer, leader of the far-left Die Linke faction in Berlin’s state parliament, said: “Anyone who would rather play tennis than be with people in their greatest time of need should perhaps consider whether this job is still the right one for them.”

Criticism also came from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Kristin Brinker, leader of the party’s Berlin parliamentary group, said: “Anyone who prefers leisure time in moments of crisis is in the wrong place. Mr. Wegner, you’ve lost this match. Take your hat.”

The blackout, which affected around 45,000 households in southern Berlin, was caused by an arson attack on an energy cable. The militant far-left Vulkangruppe group has claimed responsibility for the sabotage. With temperatures well below freezing, many residents were left without heating for several days. Electricity across the capital was fully restored by January 7.

City officials have also faced criticism over their handling of the fallout. Initially, residents affected by the outage were told they could book hotel rooms for €70 per night. Following public backlash, the city reversed the decision and began offering free hotel accommodation instead.

By Nazrin Sadigova