Friday, January 9
RBB first reported on Wednesday that Kai Wegner played tennis just hours after 45,000 households lost power last weekend due to an attack by the Vulkangruppen. At the newspaper’s request, the Senate Chancellery confirmed the information that the mayor played tennis between 1 and 2 pm but claimed that he “was always available”.
Now, criticism continues as Markus Lanz raises questions about resignation on his political talk show, which Wegner did not attend. It comes alongside demands from AfD and FDP for the mayor’s resignation.
Wegner had claimed to be constantly involved in the crisis management process, stating that he had ‘closed himself at home in his office, in the truest sense’. However, the information is undermined by the fact that he played tennis on Saturday in a facility on the outskirts of Berlin.
When the last household had electricity again on Wednesday noon, the mayor told the press, “I’ve never been so happy in my life that the electricity is back.”
In about eight months, Berlin will elect a new House of Representatives and instead of entering the election campaign as a strong crisis manager, Wegner’s behaviour at the beginning of the power outage is likely to follow him into the election.
