TheSenate of Berlin (German:Senat von Berlin; unofficially:Berliner Senat) is the executive body governing the city ofBerlin, which at the same time is astate ofGermany. According to theConstitution of Berlin the Senate consists of theGoverning Mayor of Berlin and up to ten senators appointed by the governing mayor, two of whom are appointed (deputy) mayors.[1] TheSenate meets weekly at theRotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall).[2]
TheBrandenburg municipalities ofAlt-Berlin andCölln had receivedtown privileges in the 13th century and from 1307 on shared a common administration, but were divided after the elector subjected the city (following the idea ofdivide and rule) and made it his residential city in 1448. KingFrederick I of Prussia by resolution finally had both towns, and three later founded adjacent cities,[3] merged and elevated to the "Royal Capital and Residence City of Berlin" as of 1 January 1710.
From thePrussian reforms of 1808 until 1933, Berlin (expanded toGreater Berlin in 1920) was governed by aMagistrat (compulsorily dissolved by Nazi act on 15 March 1933), which was the executive committee of theStadtverordnetenversammlung (city council; last convened on 27 June 1933)[4] and was represented in each of theboroughs of Berlin by a local office (usually housed in the town hall of a formerly independent suburb).[5] The council was headed by a Lord Mayor, orOberbürgermeister. Lord MayorHeinrich Sahm, elected in 1931, remained in office, and joined theNSDAP in November 1933, but resigned in 1935. His power totally depended onJulius Lippert, on 25 March 1933 appointed asPrussian State Commissioner for Berlin. So Berlin was de facto under the ultimate governance of the Nazi regime.
After the defeat ofNazi Germany, Berlin was to be under the ultimate governance of theAllied Kommandatura. However, in the election of 20 October 1946, the city elected anSPD-majority Stadtverordnetenversammlung and an SPD mayor (Otto Ostrowski, resigned 1947). The second elected SPD mayor, the devoted anti-communistErnst Reuter, was vetoed by the Soviet commander, soLouise Schroeder (SPD) officiated as only acting lord mayor. The Western allies permitted the Berlin SPD to hold a referendum on whether to merge with the Communist party to form a unified single party of the left, theSocialist Unity Party, as realised under pressure in theSoviet occupation zone of Germany, and the members voted against the merger.[6]
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This was unacceptable to the Soviets, who engineered the establishment of an alternative city council in the sector under their direct control.[7] Following theBerlin Blockade, the Soviet sector, which became known asEast Berlin (and the capital of theGerman Democratic Republic as of October 1949) and the three western sectors (British, French, and U.S.) were functionally separated following theattempted Communist putsch in Berlin's city government in September 1948 (a situation formalised in theFour Power Agreement on Berlin of 1971).
Under the new constitution ofWest Berlin which came into force on 1 September 1950, Berlin was defined as a state of theFederal Republic of Germany; however, due to the Allied veto, its representatives in thefederal parliament (and later in theEuropean Parliament) were not directly elected by the citizenry, but appointed by theBerlin parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) and had no voting power, but a merely advisory vote in those parliaments.[8] On the model of the two Hanseaticcity-states within the Federal Republic,Hamburg andBremen,[9] the Berlin Senate, chosen by the parties represented in the Berlin parliament, was established to perform the functions of a state government,[10] with each of its members heading a department, equivalent to a state ministry, and aRegierender Bürgermeister (Governing or Executive Mayor) at its head and oneBürgermeister as his/her deputy. In the 1950 constitution the maximum number of senators was 16,[11][12] then each elected by the parliament, but the first Senate had 13.[13]
Thus, following the Hanseatic tradition, the Lord Mayor was onlyprimus inter pares as he and the senators had an elected mandate, therefore the Lord Mayor could not dismiss any senator. Senators could however be removed from their seats by the Parliament. Until 1990 all elected Mayors and Senators had to have their positions confirmed by the Allied commanders of West Berlin. Since both the building then used as the town hall of Berlin, (theNeues Stadthaus [de]), and theRotes Rathaus (which had been destroyed and was not rebuilt until 1956) were in East Berlin, the Senate met at the former town hall ofSchöneberg,Rathaus Schöneberg.[14]
During the transition to areunified Germany in 1990, a newMagistrat was elected in East Berlin and a Senate appointed in West Berlin, and they jointly governed as aLandesregierung aus Senat und Magistrat (state government of Senate and Magistrat, known popularly as theMagiSenat),[15][16] which initially met in alternate weeks at the Schöneberg town hall and the Red Town Hall.[17] The Oberbürgermeister (East) and the Regierender Bürgermeister (West) similarly headed the government jointly.
With the completion of reunification on 3 October 1990, the MagiSenat became a unified Berlin Senate, no longer depending on Allied confirmation. The new Senate was reduced to a maximum of 8 members, and senators are now appointed by the Governing Mayor (1995 amendment of the constitution). There are now two Deputy Mayors.[18] The senate meets in the room in the Red Town Hall which was originally created for theMagistrat in the 1950s.[2]
The Berlin Senate consists of ten ministries or departments (German:Senatsverwaltungen).[19] Their work is coordinated by the staff of the Senate Chancellery, which is under the direction of the governing mayor. As of 2023, the composition of the Senate is as follows:
| Portfolio | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | State secretaries | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governing Mayor of Berlin Senate Chancellery |  | Kai Wegner born (1972-09-15)15 September 1972 (age 52) | CDU | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Deputy Mayor Senator for Economy, Energy and Enterprise |  | Franziska Giffey born (1978-05-03)3 May 1978 (age 46) | SPD | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Deputy Mayor Senator for Finance |  | Stefan Evers born (1979-10-10)10 October 1979 (age 45) | CDU | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
| |
| Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion |  | Joe Chialo born (1970-07-18)18 July 1970 (age 54) | CDU | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Urban Development, Construction and Housing |  | Christian Gaebler born (1964-12-08)8 December 1964 (age 60) | SPD | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Interior and Sport |  | Iris Spranger born (1961-09-19)19 September 1961 (age 63) | SPD | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Education, Youth and Family |  | Katharina Günther-Wünsch born (1983-04-03)3 April 1983 (age 41) | CDU | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Science, Health and Care |  | Ina Czyborra born (1966-06-23)23 June 1966 (age 58) | SPD | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Labour, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination |  | Cansel Kiziltepe born (1975-10-08)8 October 1975 (age 49) | SPD | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment |  | Manja Schreiner born (1978-04-29)29 April 1978 (age 46) | CDU | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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| Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection |  | Felor Badenberg born (1975-05-21)21 May 1975 (age 49) | Ind. (CDU nomination) | 27 April 2023 | Incumbent |
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