Opposition parties in Berlin’s state parliament want Mayor Kai Wegner to resign for playing tennis while city residents shivered during a five-day power outage.

German public broadcaster RBB reported Wednesday that after being informed of the blackout on Saturday, Wegner had gone to play tennis with romantic partner Katharina Günther-Wünsch, Berlin’s top education official.

Wegner confirmed the report in an interview with Welt TV (which, like POLITICO, belongs to the Axel Springer group).

“I played tennis from 1 to 2 p.m. because I wanted to clear my head. I was reachable the whole time … my phone was on loud. I went straight back afterward and continued working,” he told Welt.

On Sunday, however, Wegner had offered journalists a different story when confronted as to his whereabouts the previous day. “I was at home. I literally locked myself in my home office and coordinated things from there,” he maintained.

Wegner, whose conservative CDU party governs Berlin in coalition with the Social Democrats, is facing criticism from opposition parties across the political spectrum.

Tobias Schulze, leader of the far-left Die Linke faction in Berlin’s state parliament, told POLITICO: “The fact that Kai Wegner chose to go play tennis instead of traveling to the crisis area shows a lack of responsibility and a lack of empathy. Mr. Wegner must ask himself whether he has lived up to the responsibility of his office.”

The far-right AfD also savaged the mayor. Kristin Brinker, leader of the party’s Berlin parliamentary group, said “Anyone who prefers leisure time in moments of crisis is in the wrong place. Mr. Wegner, you’ve lost this match. Take your hat.”

The Saturday blackout was triggered by an arson attack on an energy cable; the militant far-left Vulkangruppe faction has claimed responsibility. The outage affected some 45,000 households in the south of Berlin containing both wealthier residents and vulnerable people.

With temperatures well below freezing, many homes were left without heating for days. On Wednesday authorities confirmed that one woman in the affected area had been found dead in her home. Wegner told Welt it remains unclear whether the death was linked to the blackout.

The mayor’s handling of the crisis drew further criticism after a social media video showed an enraged resident upbraiding Wegner over the transfer of care-dependent older residents to a gym.

Berlin officials also found themselves in hot water after the city told affected residents they could book hotel rooms for €70 a night. After an outcry the city reversed course and offered free hotel accommodation.

Power in the area was fully restored on Wednesday.

Berlin holds state elections in September. Even before the blackout, the CDU was polling around 22 percent, 6 points fewer than it received in the 2023 Berlin state election.