Berlin's CDU renominates Kai Wegner as lead candidate with 92.6 percent, despite internal criticism

The nomination vote

Berlin's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has nominated Kai Wegner as its lead candidate for the upcoming Abgeordnetenhaus election on 20 September. At a state party conference in Berlin-Neukölln, a broad majority of delegates voted for the CDU state chairman and Governing Mayor. In a secret ballot, Wegner received 252 of the 272 votes cast, a share of 92.6 percent.

92.6 percent in a secret ballot — that is support.

The result, however, was not unanimous. Wolfram Wickert, a delegate from the Mitte district association, unexpectedly declared his opposing candidacy before the vote, arguing that the CDU needed a different lead candidate. His challenge did not sway the majority of delegates.

A tougher path than before

Wegner's previous nominations had been smoother. In November 2022, he was nominated by a show of hands with no votes against and only one abstention. In 2021, he was elected lead candidate in a secret ballot with around 90 percent. This time, the need for a secret ballot and the presence of a challenger mark a shift.

In recent months, Wegner has faced criticism, including from within his own party. He was faulted for his conduct during a major power outage earlier this year, when he did not visit the affected districts on the first day and instead played tennis, a fact he initially omitted. More recently, the opposition accused him of mishandling the appointment of the State Secretary for Digitalisation, whom Wegner dismissed after just over two months.

Wegner's campaign pitch

In a combative speech lasting over an hour, Wegner highlighted the achievements of the black-red coalition government and made clear his intention to lead it after the election as well.

We have been successful. They were three good years for Berlin.

He described the upcoming vote as a fateful election and pledged to continue a pragmatic course. "Common sense must govern in Berlin, not left-green ideology," he said. Among the successes he listed were the administrative reform, which he said had established clear responsibilities, and the ability to get short-term appointments at citizen registration offices.

Housing and transport pledges

On housing, Wegner pointed to 80,000 newly built apartments during the current legislative period and the Faster Construction Act. He advocated for more construction, including the peripheral development of Tempelhofer Feld. He categorically ruled out expropriations of housing in Berlin.

With me, there will definitely be no expropriations of housing in Berlin. I rule that out categorically.

On transport, Wegner defended the completion of the 16th section of the A100 motorway and committed to building the 17th section.

The electoral landscape

The new Berlin House of Representatives will be elected on 20 September. The capital is currently governed by a CDU-SPD coalition. Other parties have also chosen their lead candidates: the Greens with parliamentary group leader Werner Graf, the Left Party with deputy chair Elif Eralp, the AfD with state chair Kerstin Brinker, the SPD with former state secretary Steffen Krach, the BSW with state chair Alexander King, and the FDP with state chair Christoph Meyer. In the last Abgeordnetenhaus election in February 2023, the CDU under Wegner achieved 28.2 percent and became the strongest party. Recent polls show the CDU at 19 to 20 percent, a significant decline.