…
World
Stefan Evers elected unanimously as CDU Berlin top candidate for September 20, 2026 election
World Desk · · 30s summary · 4 min read
The essentials
The Berlin CDU leadership elected Stefan Evers, 46, unanimously as top candidate for Berlin parliament elections on September 20, 2026, according to Die Zeit and Tagesschau. This vote, held on July 13, 2026 in the late afternoon, comes two days after Kai Wegner's withdrawal, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, who faced difficulties due to a controversy over his management of a power outage in January 2026. Evers, Senator for Finance and Culture, also holds the interim presidency of the Berlin CDU's state organization.
- Stefan Evers elected unanimously as CDU Berlin top candidate on July 13, 2026
- Kai Wegner withdrew from candidacy on July 11 following power outage controversy
- CDU dropped to fourth place in Berlin polls before this change
- Evers serves as Senator for Finance, Culture, and Deputy Governing Mayor
- Lukas Krieger appointed interim secretary general; Ottilie Klein leaves position
Stefan Evers has been elected unanimously as top candidate (Spitzenkandidat, the term referring to a party's principal candidate for the leadership of a regional government) of the Berlin CDU for elections to Berlin state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) scheduled for September 20, 2026. The Berlin CDU leadership made this decision on July 13, 2026 in the late afternoon, according to Die Zeit and Tagesschau.
What we know
Stefan Evers, 46, from Westphalia, already holds several responsibilities in the city's government: Senator for Finance, Senator for Culture, and Deputy Governing Mayor of Berlin. He was also vice president of the Berlin CDU's state organization.
The party leadership also entrusted him with interim leadership of the Berlin CDU's state organization (Landesverband). His formal confirmation will take place at a party congress, whose date has not yet been specified.
The Berlin CDU's secretary general, Ottilie Klein, is leaving her position. On Evers's proposal, federal deputy Lukas Krieger, chairman of the CDU in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district, succeeds her as interim secretary general. This appointment was also adopted unanimously.
Kai Wegner's withdrawal
Kai Wegner, Governing Mayor of Berlin — the mayor and head of government of the city-state, elected by the Berlin parliament —, announced his withdrawal from leading candidacy on Friday, July 11, 2026. The chairs of the CDU's local sections immediately proposed Evers as his successor on the same day.
This withdrawal followed months of controversy over his management of a multi-day power outage that occurred in January 2026, caused by an arson attack in Berlin. During the crisis, he played tennis privately. He subsequently falsely claimed to have telephoned continuously from early morning, when in fact he had only sent text messages and made no phone calls in the morning of the incident.
In the latest polls, the CDU was no longer in more than fourth place among Berlin parties. Support for Wegner had also declined within the party itself.
Timeline
- January 2026An arson attack causes a multi-day power outage in Berlin. The management of the crisis by Kai Wegner sparks lasting controversy.
- January–July 2026Months of public and internal debate over Wegner's contradictory statements. The CDU drops to fourth place among Berlin parties in polls; internal support for Wegner erodes.
The illustrations in this article are generated by artificial intelligence.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to react.