Politics of Berlin

Ministries

The relocation of the federal government and Bundestag to Berlin was completed in 1999, however with some ministries as well as some minor departments retained in the federal city Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. Discussions to move the remaining branches continue.^[2] The ministries and departments of Defence, 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 and Education and Research are based in the capital.

Boroughs

Berlin is divided into twelve boroughs (Bezirke), reduced from 23 boroughs before Berlin'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 as Kiez in the Berlin 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 (the Ortsvorsteher) were assumed by the borough mayors.

Sister cities

Berlin maintains official partnerships with 17 cities.^[14] Town twinning between Berlin and other cities began with Los 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 reflected spheres of influence, with West Berlin partnering with Western capitals and East Berlin partnering primarily with cities of the Warsaw Pact and its allies.

There are joint projects with a number of other cities, such as Belgrade, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Seoul, Sofia, Sydney and Vienna. 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]

Party strength in the legislature

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

Legislative compositions

• 
  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, following 1990 election
• 
  13th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1995 election
• 
  14th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1999 election
• 
  15th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2001 election
• 
  16th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2006 election
• 
  17th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2011 election
• 
  18th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2016 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus (Annulled), following 2021 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2023 election

City-state election results maps

People who live in the former West Berlin tend to vote for the CDU and the SPD, While voters in the former East Berlin tend to vote for Linke and the AfD.

• 
  12th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1990 election
• 
  13th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1995 election
• 
  14th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 1999 election
• 
  15th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2001 election
• 
  16th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2006 election
• 
  17th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2011 election
• 
  18th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2016 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus (annulled), following 2021 election
• 
  19th Abgeordnetenhaus, following 2023 election

Constituencies in the legislature

Berlin Police

The Berlin Police (Der Polizeipräsident in Berlin' - The Police Chief of Berlin), or commonly Berliner Polizei is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Berlin. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state (Land) agencies. Berlin Police is divided into 6 local directorates (Direktion). Each local directorate is responsible for one to three Berliner 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]

Federal Police

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

The Bundespolizei can also be used to reinforce state 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 the State Operational Support Units. Several highly trained detachments are available for crisis situations requiring armored 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, the Federal Criminal Police (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA). In addition, the Bundespolizei 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 or Grepo), to include passport control
• Protection of federal buildings such as Schloss Bellevue, the residence of the German Bundespräsident.
• Providing the federal government's mobile response force for internal security events.
• Providing transportation security at international airports and on the German railways.
• Providing counter-terrorism forces (GSG 9).
• Providing air (or sky) marshals.
• Supporting international police missions for the United Nations and the EU
• Providing in-house security for some German embassies.
• Providing rescue helicopter service.