The mayor of Berlin was called upon to resign because of an office romance.
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51-year-old Kai Wegner left his family in December, leaving his ex-wife with two children. Now it turns out that he is having an affair with 40-year-old Berlin senator (minister) Katharina Günther-Wünsch, who is responsible for education in the capital. Both belong to the conservative CDU party.
As a BILD columnist writes, in many state-owned companies in Germany, romantic relationships among management are prohibited. The head of the Berlin Taxpayers’ Association, Alexander Kraus, told BILD that a “difficult situation” had developed around Wegner, since “the burgomaster applies different standards to his partner than to other senators.” The leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the city assembly, Werner Graf, declared a conflict of interest due to the affair.
The possible romance has been discussed in the German press all week. Wegner is 51 years old, Senator Günther-Wünsch is 40.
Colleagues in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party do not hide their warm relations in public. In photographs from official events, they often stand very close, hugging and smiling friendly at each other.
Rumors about romantic relationships between officials have been circulating on the sidelines since the spring. Wegner became mayor of Berlin in April 2023. At the same time, he appointed Günter-Wünsch as Senator for Education, Youth and Family. Insiders claim that they have been together since the end of 2022. If this is true, then the mayor could appoint his beloved to a high post, taking advantage of his official position.
Officials do not comment on rumors, citing privacy. So does the mayor’s lawyer, Christian Scherz. In response to a request from BZ, the lawyer said that he saw no reason to comment on rumors about the official’s personal life. But the question arises about a possible conflict of interest, which could affect, for example, the distribution of funds when discussing the city budget.
Before the New Year, Kai Wegner announced his separation from Kathleen Kantar (42), the mother of his two young children: a daughter (2) and a son (6). They were not married and appeared together in public occasionally. The woman supported her partner before the elections, but they did not publish their family or vacation photos…
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.