Stoff, chair of the Berlin Cultural Conference, emphasized the need for a successor to advocate for cultural funding amidst financial constraints, calling for the reversal of recent budget cuts. Wedl-Wilson, who stepped down five months before the state elections, faced backlash over the controversial funding of antisemitism prevention projects deemed illegal by the audit office. The CDU, which nominated her, has been accused of pressuring her into the funding decisions, while party officials dismissed opposition criticism as mere electioneering.