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POLITICS

‘And that’s a good thing’: goodbye Wowereit!

A chapter in Berlin's political history has closed as long-time mayor Klaus Wowereit has stepped down and the city senate has elected Michael Müller to be the capital's new helmsman on Thursday.

'And that's a good thing': goodbye Wowereit!
Tschüssi Wowi! Photo: DPA

With 87 of the 146 votes in the senate, Wowereit's fellow Social Democratic Party (SPD) member was confirmed as Wowereit's successor. He garnered two more votes than the reigning SPD and Christian Democrat (CDU) coalition have seats. 

Müller soon left the Parliament to attend a state first ministers' conference with Angela Merkel on state finances. 

Müller casts his vote. Photo: DPA

The 61-year-old incumbent Wowereit held his post since 2001, but finally announced he was stepping down in June after years of scandal over the delayed development of the Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).

The airport was supposed to open in 2010 at a cost of €2.83 billion. A current opening date has yet to be scheduled, though current estimates by CEO Hartmut Mehdorn say 2017 or 2018. Costs have overrun to €5.4 billion, with a further €2.19 billion expected to be incurred before completion.

The scandal almost brings Wowereit's career, which started with a 2001 election called in the wake of another scandal, full circle.

Political prodigy

Wowereit first entered mayoral office after being elected the district mayor for Berlin-Tempelhof at the age of 30, making him the youngest politician to be elected to the city legislature.

In 2001, following the Berliner Bank Scandal, in which the state-owned bank collapsed with billions of debt, Mayor Eberhard Diepgen stepped down, "Wowi" as he's affectionately know had worked his way high enough in the ranks to win the party's nomination.

Wowereit came out as gay in his 2001 mayoral campaign when he learned that tabloids were about to reveal his sexuality in print.

"I am gay and that is a good thing," Wowereit said as he publicly came out.

After a moment's pause, the announcement was met with cheering and applause at the SPD headquarters.

"… and that is a good thing" became a catchphrase associated with "Wowi". At the time of his resignation, he was the only openly gay mayor leading a major European city.

Later, in a 2010 interview with the US-publication, Time Magazine, Wowereit said that his coming out strengthened his campaign.

Throughout his career, he also became known for coining the unofficial tagline for Berlin, "poor, but sexy", which he said in television interview in 2004. To this day, it's hard to find a travel article about the German capital that doesn't reference the 10-year-old description of the city.

Despite the occasional flare-ups of discontent with Berlin's government, which include BER, rising rent prices, and the reconstruction of  the Prussian palaces at a cost of €552 million – adding to the city's record debt of around €60 billion – Wowereit kept getting re-elected.

In 2011, he started his fourth term after his party received a fresh majority. 

His final day in Berlin's Rote Rathaus (Red City Hall) were marked with well-wishes and flowers from his colleagues. As he left, he said "Tschüss!" and someone answered "See you soon!" to which the outgoing mayor only responded with a "nö" in true Berliner form.

Wowereit is a life-long Berliner and lives with his partner of 21 years, neurosurgeon Jörn Kubicki.

Müller now has two years before the next Berlin city election to prove himself at the helm of Europe's second biggest city. He faces several challenges, not the least of which is the Wowereit's Achilles' heel, BER. 

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TERRORISM

How does Germany warn people about the threat of terrorist attacks?

Following the recent terrorist attack in Moscow, France has shifted onto the highest possible alert level for terrorist threats. Why doesn't Germany use a similar system - and how does it alert people instead?

How does Germany warn people about the threat of terrorist attacks?

Since the brutal terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas Market back in December 2016, fears of Islamist terror seem to have receded into the background – through far-right terror has remained prevalent.

But the recent terror attack on a concert hall in Moscow, which has been attributed to a branch of IS, has heightened fears of a resurgence of Islamist violence.

In contrast to neighbouring countries, Germany doesn’t use a national terror alert system to ‘grade’ the threat of terror – but it does have another system for protecting its population and warning people. 

Here’s what you need to know about Germany’s approach to tracking threats of terrorism. 

How does Germany manage the threat of terror? 

According to the Interior Ministry, rather than relying on a system of color-coded alert levels, German security authorities take a more decentralised approach.

The Federal Criminal Police Office regularly conducts assessments of terrorist threats, which are then shared with the leaders of the federal states. If there’s a significant increase in the overall risk assessment or a specific threat emerges, the government puts “appropriate security measures” in place, the Interior Ministry states.

Unlike centralised systems in countries like France, where national threat levels are analysed and shared with the public, security responsibilities in Germany are largely decentralised, resting with individual states.

Why doesn’t Germany use terror alert levels?

When it comes to using national terror alerts to alert citizens, the Interior Ministry remains sceptical, arguing that the threat level can vary significantly between regions and even within cities.

According to the Ministry, having uniform alert levels nationwide might give the false impression that the danger is uniform everywhere, which would lead to higher levels of panic and uncertainty among citizens. 

READ ALSO: How prepared is Germany in the event of a military attack?

While alert levels could theoretically serve as a means to reach the population, ARD terrorism expert Michael Götschenberg points out that their effectiveness diminishes over time. People tend to become desensitised to frequent high alert levels, which causes people to ‘switch off’ and ultimately ignore potential threats.

Mourner at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin

A man stands in front of the memorial to the victims of the Islamist terrorist attack on Breitscheidplatz in December 2026. The Christmas Market attack was the last major Islamist attack in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

One of the main factors that renders colour-coded alerts less useful is the fact that “the levels are not linked to specific rules of behaviour for the population”, Götschenberg told Tagesschau.

Austria, for example, raised its alert level last November but emphasised that the public didn’t need to alter their behaviour in any way. This reflects authorities’ belief that the best way to fight terrorism is for the population to show resilience and refuse to give into fear.

How high is the threat of terror attacks in Germany?

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Moscow, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has described the current threat of Islamist terror as “acute”.

However, the attack has not significantly changed the authorities’ perceptions of the situation. In fact, the threat was defined as acute before the latest attacks and remains so afterwards.

Several other countries, including the UK and the US, have already put out warnings for potential terrorist attacks to citizens who are considering travelling to Germany. In the UK, for example, the government cites recent attacks such as the shootings in Hanau shisha bars back in 2020 and the knife attack in Dresden the same year.

“Terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Germany,” states the official government advice, which adds that restaurants, markets, shopping centres and places of worship could be chosen for potential attacks. 

So, how will the public be warned if a plans for a specific attack become known? As well as offering general information about terrorist threat levels, the government will also release specifics that it feels are necessary for the public safety.

For example, when the authorities suspected an attack was being planned in the area around Cologne cathedral ahead of Christmas last year, warnings were sent out to residents of the city. 

On Tuesday, Faeser also revealed that she would put additional border controls in place during the European Football Championships in June and July this year. 

READ ALSO: Germany announces border controls for European Football Championship

The focus will be on protecting the country from Islamists, political extremists and other violent criminals during the competition.

“We are keeping an eye on the current threats,” Faeser told the regional Rheinische Post. 

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