1. Klaus Wowereit was born on 1 October 1953 and is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party and was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 21 October 2001 to 11 December 2014.
16 Facts About Klaus Wowereit
1. 2.
Klaus Wowereit's SPD-led coalition was re-elected in the 2006 elections; after the 2011 elections the SPD's coalition partner changed from the Left to the Christian Democratic Union.
3.
Klaus Wowereit was sometimes mentioned as a possible SPD candidate for the Chancellorship of Germany, but that never materialized.
4.
Klaus Wowereit took office as Governing Mayor of Berlin in June 2001.
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However the 16th Abgeordnetenhaus re-elected Klaus Wowereit as Governing Mayor on 23 November 2006, in the second ballot with only a 75:74 majority.
6.
In May 2012, Klaus Wowereit named Sermin Langhoff artistic director of the Maxim Gorki Theater.
7.
On 26 August 2014 Klaus Wowereit announced that he would resign his position as of 11 December 2014.
8.
On 21 October 2003 Klaus Wowereit became one of four members representing the Land of Berlin in the supervisory board of the project to build the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
9.
However, on 7 January 2013, Klaus Wowereit relinquished his chairmanship after the continuing delay of the airport's opening date.
10.
When Platzeck gave up his political offices for health reasons in July 2013, Klaus Wowereit was eventually appointed chairman again, despite much criticism.
11.
Critics have accused Klaus Wowereit of being responsible for the various delays and cost overruns of the airport project.
12.
Klaus Wowereit has been accused of being blind to looming problems, and reacting angrily to unfavorable reports.
13.
Alongside Jutta Allmendinger, Klaus Wowereit co-chaired an independent expert commission on gender-based discrimination at Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency from 2015 until 2016.
14.
Klaus Wowereit is the youngest child in his family, with two other brothers and two sisters, who grew up without a father.
15.
Klaus Wowereit is one of the most famous German politicians who is openly gay.
16.
Klaus Wowereit said those now famous words during a convention of the Berlin SPD.