Berlin – The SPD is about to get back the department for urban development and housing in the new Berlin state government. To do this, however, she has to hand over the finance department. This emerges from a list of the distribution of the Senate administrations between the SPD, the Greens and the Left for the new legislative period, which is available to the Berliner Zeitung. However, there is no official confirmation yet. The coalition agreement, in which the responsibility for the various departments is regulated, is not supposed to be officially presented until this Monday at 12 noon.
In addition to the office of the governing mayor, which Franziska Giffey will occupy, and the Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing, the Social Democrats will be responsible for the departments of home affairs, economics and education. In addition, the SPD provides the head of the Senate Chancellery. In addition to the important finance department, the Senate administrations for the environment, transport and climate protection as well as the newly formed department for health and science are to go to the Greens. The left is given responsibility for culture and Europe, for integration, labor and social affairs, and for the judiciary.
It is surprising that the Greens get the contract for the finance department. After all, the responsibility for the state treasury is the most important department after the office of the head of the Senate. The improved election result of the Greens compared to the 2016 election explains the access to the finance department, which had previously been in the hands of the SPD for more than 20 years. The SPD must hand over responsibility for science, which was most recently part of the governing mayor. The separation was imperative because otherwise the new governing mayor, Franziska Giffey, would have been responsible as the Senator for Science for the Free University, which only recently revoked her doctorate.
Lederer takes over the culture again
Now the Greens will take responsibility for health and science – possibly in the person of the top candidate Bettina Jarasch. Green party leader Werner Graf is traded as a possible senator for the environment, transport and climate protection department. It is still open who of the Greens will head the finance department. The housekeeper Daniel Wesener is considered to be professionally qualified. The fact that with him and Werner Graf two men and only one woman would occupy the three Senate posts that fall to the Greens is described in party circles as difficult, but not unthinkable – at least if the allocation of offices takes into account that the parliamentary group is controlled by one female dual leadership.
On the left, it is clear that top candidate Klaus Lederer will be in charge of culture. The previous Senator for Integration, Labor and Social Affairs, Elke Breitenbach, should take over the management of the house again. Who will lead the justice department for the left is open.
At the SPD, the former head of the airport company Engelbert Lütke Daldrup was most recently traded as a possible new urban development senator. He knows the Senate administration well because he once worked there as State Secretary. The only disadvantage of Lütke Daldrup: He is already 65 years old. Andreas Geisel, who has served as Interior Senator for the past five years, is likely to head the department for another five years. The education expert Maja Lasic, who was not re-elected to the House of Representatives, is considered to be a possible successor to the outgoing school senator Sandra Scheeres. And for the economic department, the previous financial expert Torsten Schneider, who also missed the leap into the House of Representatives, could stand.