The new red-green-red Berlin Senate is in place. And right at first glance, it is noticeable that the first female governing mayor will head the first Berlin state government, which will include more women than men. 7: 4 is the gender ratio. After the Left and the Greens had submitted and nominated two women and one man each, the SPD, especially Franziska Giffey, did not stand back. The SPD also sends more women than men to the Senate. Of course, this is not yet a certificate of quality, but definitely a strong sociopolitical symbol – and therefore a value in itself.
Only at second glance do other special features of the new team become apparent: only Senator for Culture and Mayor Klaus Lederer will retain his position. The previous Senator for the Interior, Andreas Geisel, is returning to his previous department of urban development and construction. All the others are new: there are federal celebrities like the former left leader Katja Kipping as social senator, and there is the new Green Health and Science Senator Ulrike Gote, who hardly anyone in Berlin knows.
The biggest surprise, however, is Stephan Schwarz’s appointment as Senator for Economic Affairs. The 56-year-old is not only the only patroness, the long-time head of the Berlin Chamber of Crafts, as the owner of a family business, is also a real counterpoint to left-wing expropriation fantasies. Let’s see when it rattles for the first time.
In any case, the new Senate team doesn’t even have a day to get used to each other. This Tuesday, a few hours after Franziska Giffey and Co were sworn in, another Prime Minister’s conference is taking place in the Chancellery. Topic: Corona, of course. From day one, you need qualities that will be urgently needed for the next five years: professionalism and consultation. That exercises tremendously.
.