Berlin CDU nominates Stefan Evers as new top candidate for House of Representatives election

Evers himself stated that it was now "darum, den eingeschlagenen Weg konsequent fortzusetzen und unsere Stadt weiter voranzubringen". He pointed out that Wegner, with his decision, had ensured "dass der Blick wieder auf die Erfolge seines Senats und die Herausforderungen für Berlin gerichtet werden kann". One district chair told the news agency AFP: "Evers kann das." Within the Berlin CDU, many consider Evers a multitalented figure.

Wegner's withdrawal after the power crisis

The change at the top had become necessary because the previous top candidate and Governing Mayor Kai Wegner had withdrawn his candidacy the day before. Wegner had come under criticism since the arson attack on the Berlin power grid on January 3, 2026, during which around 100,000 people in the southwest of the city were left without electricity, in some cases for days. He repeatedly acknowledged inconsistencies regarding his behavior on the day of the blackout. "Ja, ich habe kommunikative Fehler gemacht. Und das war auch Mist", Wegner said. He spoke of a "Schicksalswahl".

Wegner had still been elected as his party's top candidate in June with just under 93 percent. Now he drew the consequences from the ongoing debate. "Ich kriege es nicht mehr hin, Botschaften zu senden, weil eine andere Debatte alles überlagert", he said. The coalition partner SPD increasingly distanced itself. Its top candidate Steffen Krach categorically ruled out cooperation with Wegner after the September election on Thursday: "Ich werde es in keiner Konstellation zulassen, dass Kai Wegner in einem künftigen Senat eine Rolle übernehmen kann", he declared.

Who is Stefan Evers?

Stefan Evers was born on October 10, 1979 in Herdecke an der Ruhr, grew up in Paderborn, completed his Abitur there, and moved to Berlin at the age of 19. He has been sitting in the Berlin House of Representatives for the CDU since 2011, where he immediately became deputy faction leader. In 2016, he also became Secretary General of the Berlin CDU, in 2023 Wegner's deputy as CDU state chairman, and also deputy mayor. Since the 2023 election, he has been Finance Senator, and since the end of April in a dual role also Culture Senator, after the non-partisan Culture Senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson had resigned.

Regarding his previous duties, Evers said: "Er hat als Finanzsenator und in den vergangenen Wochen auch in der Doppelfunktion als Kultursenator gezeigt, dass er Regierungsämter ausfüllen und gestalten kann." A fundamental course change is not considered likely under him. The Berlin CDU says it wants to enforce security, law and order and focus on education and housing construction.

Polls and starting position

In the latest Infratest dimap poll, the CDU had slipped to fourth place with just 17 percent, behind the Left, the Greens, and the AfD. In the 2023 election, the CDU had still achieved 28.2 percent. The expectation of many in the party of Stefan Evers is that he will bring the CDU clearly back above 20 percent by election day. The 46-year-old has ten weeks to turn the mood in Berlin around.

Assessments from political science and journalism

Political scientist Reuschenbach told RBB that the change of top candidate was a burden for the CDU. Evers would have a hard time in the campaign because he still had to build name recognition. The topic of the candidate change currently dominated conversations at the CDU campaign stands. Reuschenbach sees a strong polarization developing between the CDU and the Left and predicted: "Und das verspricht natürlich auch einen, ich würde sagen, in weiten Teilen wahrscheinlich unangenehmen, harten Wahlkampf." He described the House of Representatives election as an open race: "Alle Parteien gleichauf, niemand klar in Führung und keine populäre Figur in dem Sinne." Many people were not engaging with politics during the just-started summer holidays.

Publicist Albrecht von Lucke said on Deutschlandfunk that he did not give Evers good chances of closing the CDU's existing deficit. The Berlin population takes "mit großem Desinteresse keinerlei Anteil an der Politik". The CDU must first try to become visible at all. Since Evers does not shy away from clear words, he at least has the chance to become reasonably well known in the coming weeks. Von Lucke said Wegner had "fundamental in einer großen Krisensituation versagt" and subsequently lied to the population. Had there been no election, Wegner would probably have simply remained in office.

Outlook on the campaign

Wegner has been Governing Mayor in a black-red coalition since April 2023. He had originally planned to continue serving as head of government in the event of a CDU election victory on September 20. The report on the change at the top of the CDU was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on July 11, 2026.