The fourth Wowereit senate was the state government of Berlin between 2011 and 2014, sworn in on 24 November 2011 after Klaus Wowereit was elected as Governing Mayor by the members of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin. It was the 25th Senate of Berlin.
It was formed after the 2011 Berlin state election by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Excluding the Governing Mayor, the senate comprised eight members, called Senators. Three were members of the SPD, four were members of the CDU, and one was an independent politician (nominated by the SPD).
After Wowereit's resignation as Governing Mayor, the fourth Wowereit senate was succeeded by the first Müller senate on 11 December 2014.
Formation
The previous Senate was a coalition government of the SPD and The Left led by Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit.
The election took place on 18 September 2011, and resulted in losses for both governing parties. The SPD remained in first place while The Left fell from third to fourth. The opposition CDU and Greens improved, and the Pirate Party debuted at 9%. As a result of their losses, the SPD and The Left fell short of a majority, bringing the coalition to an end.
The SPD initially began exploratory talks with the Greens; Wowereit later said that the Greens were their preferred coalition partner. However, the SPD withdrew from discussions on 5 October, citing irreconciliable disagreements over the proposed extension of the Bundesautobahn 100, which the SPD supported and the Greens opposed. They instead began negotiations with the CDU for a grand coalition. The parties presented their coalition pact on 16 November.
Wowereit was re-elected as Governing Mayor by the Abgeordnetenhaus on 24 November, winning 84 votes out of 148 cast. His Senate was sworn in on 1 December.
Composition The composition of the Senate at the time of its dissolution was as follows: Portfolio Senator Party Took office Left office Governing Mayor of BerlinSenate Chancellery Klaus Wowereit SPD 24 November 2011 10 December 2014 Deputy MayorSenator for Interior and Sport Frank Henkel CDU 1 December 2011 10 December 2014 Deputy MayorSenator for Urban Development and Environment Michael Müller SPD 1 December 2011 10 December 2014 Senator for Economics, Technology and Research Sybille von Obernitz Ind. 1 December 2011 11 September 2012 Cornelia Yzer CDU 27 September 2012 10 December 2014 Senator for Education, Youth and Science Sandra Scheeres SPD 1 December 2011 10 December 2014 Senator for Finance Ulrich Nußbaum Ind. 1 December 2011 10 December 2014 Senator for Health and Social Affairs Mario Czaja CDU 1 December 2011 10 December 2014 Senator for Labour, Integration and Women Dilek Kolat SPD 1 December 2011 10 December 2014 Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection Michael Braun CDU 1 December 2011 12 December 2011 Thomas Heilmann CDU 12 January 2012 10 December 2014
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