Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner has withdrawn as the CDU's top candidate for the state parliament election on September 20. The party's district chairs agreed on Finance Senator Stefan Evers as his successor.
Wegner announced his withdrawal at a press conference on Friday afternoon. He responded to growing calls for his resignation from within the party over incorrect statements about his conduct during the power outage in early January.
Evers declared his readiness to take on the responsibility on the evening after the district chairs' meeting. He wants to lead the party forward in the election campaign and stressed the need for unity.
The CDU state board still needs to confirm the decision. Wegner intends to remain in office as governing mayor until a new coalition is formed, but will not serve in a future government.
