Stefan Evers is on a mission to defend the Rotes Rathaus.
The Reluctant Firefighter Takes the Reins
Arriving five minutes late to his interview at the Rotes Rathaus, Evers offered a self-deprecating nod to his tardiness. “Ja, ja, dieser Schlendrian,” he remarked, leaning into the very label he has embraced on his campaign posters, where he styles himself the “Endgegner vom Schlendrian”. According to an interview, Evers has quietly emerged as the troubleshooter for the Berlin CDU. When the city’s culture senator resigned in April, Evers stepped in to absorb that portfolio as well. When Governing Mayor Kai Wegner announced in July that he would not run again, the party turned directly to Evers to keep the mayor’s office under conservative control.
Polling heading into the final stretch of the interviews showed a tightly fractured electorate: the CDU polling between 18 and 20 percent, neck-and-neck with Die Linke at 18 to 22 percent, alongside the AfD at 16 to 19 percent, the Greens at 16 to 17 percent, and the SPD trailing at 12 to 13 percent. With all major democratic parties ruling out any coalition with the AfD, the path to the Rotes Rathaus demands tactical discipline and a distinct message.
Is Berlin Still Sexy? A Conservative Defense of Urban Chaos
When asked whether Berlin is still sexy, Evers answered with unreserved optimism. He pointed out that Berlin continues to represent an unmistakable promise of personal freedom that draws people from across the globe. A recent Allensbach Institute poll commissioned by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung indicates that only 31 percent of Germans still view Berlin as a fascinating metropolis, down sharply from 66 percent in 2007. Evers attributes part of that drop to internal pessimism, noting that Berliners love to complain about themselves.
At the same time, Evers draws a hard line between preserving urban character and tolerating administrative decay. “Wer durch einen ‘Schöner Wohnen’-Katalog laufen will, kann das gerne in München machen. Wer das pulsierende Leben einer Weltstadt erleben will, der ist in Berlin genau richtig,” he said. While rejecting sterile gentrification, he insists that public spaces require stricter oversight to reverse years of visible neglect.
Tackling Crime, Safety, and the Left’s Legal Challenges
Public safety anchors much of the CDU’s pitch to voters. Evers maintains that Berlin has grown objectively safer over the past few years, citing crime statistics that sit at their lowest level in a decade. He credits this shift to a strengthened police force, enhanced technical capabilities, and a significantly tightened police law enacted under the current conservative-led administration. Those expanded police powers have drawn fierce opposition from Die Linke, which has pursued legal action at the constitutional court against the legislation.
Despite broader downward trends in overall offenses, Evers acknowledges rising pressure points, specifically calling out knife-related crimes and street clashes between rival criminal clans. To combat the former, he advocates expanding knife-free zones across the city and empowering law enforcement to enforce them rigorously. “Mir fällt beim besten Willen kein Grund ein, warum man beim Spazierengehen unbedingt ein Messer dabeihaben müsste,” he said.
Navigating Coalitions and Rejecting Extremism
Drawing on historical echoes, Evers’ campaign has also playfully co-opted the famous branding of former SPD Mayor Klaus Wowereit, running billboards that declare: “Ich bin konservativ, und das ist auch gut so.” He explained that Wowereit’s original formulation championed personal freedom, a sentiment that deeply shaped his own political worldview. When asked if he fancies himself the strict guardian of Berlin politics, Evers emphasized fiscal sobriety. As someone who has handled finances, he argues he is already the official tasked with balancing the books, refusing to make promises the city cannot afford.
Looking toward the post-election coalition math, Evers draws a thick red line against the political fringes. He sharply criticized Die Linke, accusing the party of tolerating antisemitism within its ranks, targeting the police, and pushing for mass expropriations that he argues ultimately stifle housing construction.
