Berlin – First silence, then excuses, finally an admission: Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner is massively criticized for his behavior during the massive power outage in the capital. While tens of thousands of Berliners had to get by without electricity, heating and light for days, the head of government was not in permanent crisis mode - but on the tennis court.

Initially, Wegner had explained that he had locked himself in his office and coordinated the situation. He later admitted that this representation had been false. In fact, he had played tennis. This subsequent correction now earns him serious accusations - up to and including open demands for his resignation.

Meanwhile, the actual trigger of the crisis, a suspected left-wing extremist arson attack on a cable bridge on the Teltow Canal, is increasingly receding into the background. There is hardly any talk about perpetrators, investigations or political consequences. Instead, the debate focuses almost exclusively on Wegner's role – and his credibility.

The criticism of FDP leader Christian Dürr is particularly sharp. He accuses the Berlin head of government of deliberately deceiving the public. Anyone who makes false statements in such a situation and only corrects them days later has gambled away trust. A resignation is inevitable.

In addition, the FDP sees a structural failure. In key areas such as education, transport and budgetary discipline, the situation in Berlin has deteriorated further under Wegner. The accusation is: political failure combined with a lack of transparency and personal error in an exceptional situation.

Nevertheless, Wegner receives backing from the Chancellery. Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly backed his party colleague. At a CSU retreat, Merz explained that there was nothing to complain about in the processes, that it could hardly have been done better. The chancellor did not mention that Wegner had effectively withdrawn from operations during the crisis.

The consequences for the population were considerable. For up to five days, around 50,000 households were without electricity. Heat pumps failed, apartments cooled down, and the everyday lives of many people came to a standstill. Against this background, the tennis episode seems like an affront to many of those affected.

Calls for resignation are now coming not only from the FDP, but also from the AfD and the Greens. The latter speak openly of a failure of leadership and fundamentally question Wegner's ability to hold office. A head of government who needs a break after just a few hours of work is not up to the responsibility of his office.

Criticism is also coming from the SPD, coalition partner of the CDU in Berlin – albeit cautiously. The federal party is particularly critical of the information policy. SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese spoke of piecemeal communication that destroys trust. 
Why Wegner went public with a false representation at all remains unanswered.