Berlin is acity-state and the capital of theFederal Republic of Germany.

Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. ThePresident of Germany, whose functions are mainly ceremonial under theGerman constitution, has his official residence inSchloss Bellevue.^[1] Berlin is the seat of theGerman executive, housed in theChancellery, theBundeskanzleramt.

Facing the Chancellery is theBundestag, the German Parliament, housed in the renovatedReichstag building since the government moved back to Berlin in 1998. TheBundesrat ("federal council", functioning as an upper house) is the representation of the Federal States (Bundesländer) of Germany and has its seat at the formerPrussian House of Lords.

The relocation of the federalgovernment and Bundestag to Berlin was completed in 1999, however with some ministries as well as some minor departments retained in thefederal cityBonn, the former capital of West Germany.Discussions to move the remaining branches continue.^[2] The ministries and departments ofDefence,Justice and Consumer Protection,Finance,Interior,Foreign,Economic Affairs and Energy,Labour and Social Affairs,Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth,Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety,Food and Agriculture,Economic Cooperation and Development,Health,Transport and Digital Infrastructure andEducation and Research are based in the capital.

Since German reunification on 3 October 1990, Berlin has been one of threecity-states (withHamburg andBremen) among Germany's 16 states. The city and state parliament is theHouse of Representatives, (Abgeordnetenhaus), with 141 seats. Berlin's executive body is theSenate of Berlin (Senat von Berlin). The Senate consists of theGoverning Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) and up to eight senators with ministerial positions (one holding the official title "Mayor" (Bürgermeister) as deputy to the Governing Mayor). TheSocial Democratic Party (SPD) andThe Left (Die Linke) took control of the city government after the2001 state election, winning another term in the2006 state election.^[3] The2011 state election produced a coalition of the Social Democratic Party and theChristian Democratic Union, which was followed by a Red-Red-Green coalition of the Social Democrats, Greens, and Left Party after the2016 state election and2021 state election. The current government consists of a coalition between the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats after the2023 state election.^[4]

The Governing Mayor is Lord Mayor of the city (Oberbürgermeister der Stadt) and Prime Minister of the federal state (Ministerpräsident des Bundeslandes). The office of Berlin's Governing Mayor is in theRotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). From 2001 to 2014, this office was held byKlaus Wowereit of the SPD.^[5] Between 2014 and 2021 the position was held byMichael Müller, who was succeeded byFranziska Giffey. Both politicians are also of the SPD.^[6] In April 2023, Berlin got its first conservative mayor,Kai Wegner ofCDU, in more than two decades.^[7]

The total annual state budget of Berlin in 2007 exceeded €20.5 ($28.7) billion, which included a budget surplus of €80 ($112) million (the first surplus in the city-state's history).^[8] Due to increasing growth rates and tax revenues, the Senate of Berlin calculated an increasing budget surplus for 2008. The total budget was an estimated amount €5.5 ($7.7) billion, financed by the German government or the GermanBundesländer.^[9] Primarily due to reunification-related expenditures, Berlin as a German state accumulated more debt than any other city in Germany (an estimated €60 ($84) billion in December 2007).^[10]

The city has ten state-level ministries (Senatsverwaltungen, Senate Departments), each led by a Senator, plus the Senate Chancellery, which is the office of the Governing Mayor.^[11][12] It also has seven state-level agencies (Landesämter), such as theBerlin Immigration Office.^[13]

Berlin is divided intotwelve boroughs (Bezirke), reduced from 23 boroughs beforeBerlin's 2001 administrative reform. Each borough has a number of localities (Ortsteile), which often have historic roots in older municipalities predating the formation of Greater Berlin on 1 October 1920 and were urbanised and incorporated into the city. Many residents strongly identify with their localities (or boroughs). Berlin has 96 localities, commonly made up of several city neighbourhoods (known asKiez in theBerlin dialect).

Each borough is governed by a council (Bezirksamt) with five councillors (Bezirksstadträte) and a borough mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The borough council is elected by the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung). The boroughs of Berlin are not independent municipalities; the borough governments' power is limited, and subordinate to the Berlin Senate. The borough mayors form a council of mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister, led by the city's governing mayor), which advises the Senate. The localities have no local government bodies, and the administrative duties of the former locality representative (theOrtsvorsteher) were assumed by the borough mayors.

Berlin maintains official partnerships with 17 cities.^[14] Town twinning between Berlin and other cities began withLos Angeles in 1967. East Berlin's partnerships were cancelled at German reunification, but later partially reestablished. West Berlin's partnerships were limited to the borough level. During the Cold War the partnerships reflectedspheres of influence, with West Berlin partnering with Western capitals and East Berlin partnering primarily with cities of theWarsaw Pact and its allies.

There are joint projects with a number of other cities, such asBelgrade, Copenhagen,Helsinki,Johannesburg, Shanghai,Seoul,Sofia, Sydney andVienna. Berlin participates in international city associations such as the Union of the Capitals of the European Union, Eurocities, Network of European Cities of Culture, Metropolis, Summit Conference of the World's Major Cities, Conference of the World's Capital Cities. Its partner cities are:^[14]

A darkened box under a party in any given year denotes that the party had either not yet been founded, or the party had become defunct, by the date of that election.

Pre-1990 in West Berlin

1990-, Post-reunification

• 
  West Berlin Council, following 1948 election
• 
  1st Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1950 election
• 
  2nd Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1954 election
• 
  3rd Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1958 election
• 
  4th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1963 election
• 
  5th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1967 election
• 
  6th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1971 election
• 
  7th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1975 election
• 
  8th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1979 election
• 
  9th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1981 election
• 
  10th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1985 election
• 
  11th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1989 election
• 
  12th Abgeordnetenhaus, following1990 election
• 
  13th Abgeordnetenhaus, following1995 election
• 
  14th Abgeordnetenhaus, following1999 election
• 
  15th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2001 election
• 
  16th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2006 election
• 
  17th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2011 election
• 
  18th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2016 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus (Annulled), following2021 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2023 election

People who live in the formerWest Berlin tend to vote for the CDU and the SPD, While voters in the formerEast Berlin tend to vote for Linke and the AfD.

• 
  12th Abgeordnetenhaus, following1990 election
• 
  13th Abgeordnetenhaus, following1995 election
• 
  14th Abgeordnetenhaus, following1999 election
• 
  15th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2001 election
• 
  16th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2006 election
• 
  17th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2011 election
• 
  18th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2016 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus (annulled), following2021 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus, following2023 election

The Berlin Police (Der Polizeipräsident in Berlin' - The Police Chief of Berlin), or commonly Berliner Polizei is theGermanLandespolizei force for thecity-state ofBerlin.Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal andstate (Land) agencies. Berlin Police is divided into 6 local directorates (Direktion). Each local directorate is responsible for one to threeBerliner districts:

• Direktion 1:Reinickendorf,Pankow^[17]
• Direktion 2:Spandau,Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf^[18]
• Direktion 3:Mitte^[19]
• Direktion 4:Tempelhof-Schöneberg,Steglitz-Zehlendorf^[20]
• Direktion 5:Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg,Neukölln^[21]
• Direktion 6:Marzahn-Hellersdorf,Treptow-Köpenick,Lichtenberg^[22]

The Federal Police (Bundespolizei or BPOL) is a (primarily) uniformedfederal police force in Berlin andGermany. It is subordinate to theFederal Ministry of the Interior (Bundesministerium des Innern (BMI)).^[23]

TheBundespolizei can also be used to reinforcestate police if requested by a state(Land) government. The BPOL maintains these reserve forces to deal with major demonstrations, disturbances or emergencies, supplementing the capabilities of theState Operational Support Units. Several highly trained detachments are available for crisis situations requiringarmored cars,water cannon or other special equipment.

BPOL has investigators conduct criminal investigations only within its jurisdiction; otherwise the cases are referred to the appropriate state police force or to the federal criminal investigative agency, theFederal Criminal Police (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA). In addition, theBundespolizei cooperates closely with German state executive authorities, such as prosecutor's offices (Staatsanwaltschaft) in pursuing criminal investigations.

The Bundespolizei has the following missions:

• Border security (Grenzpolizei orGrepo), to include passport control
• Protection offederal buildings such as Schloss Bellevue, the residence of the GermanBundespräsident.
• Providing the federal government'smobile response force for internal security events.
• Providing transportation security atinternational airports and on the German railways.
• Providing counter-terrorism forces (GSG 9).
• Providingair (or sky) marshals.
• Supporting international police missions for theUnited Nations and the EU
• Providing in-house security for some German embassies.
• Providing rescuehelicopter service.

• List of people from Berlin
• Politics of Germany
• European Union

• Politics of Berlin

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