Berlin, August 10 – A new survey ahead of the 2026 Berlin state election reveals a close contest, with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate Stefan Evers emerging as the preferred choice for direct mayoral election. The poll, conducted by the Civey opinion research institute, offers a glimmer of hope for the CDU despite their current stagnant position in broader party polls following the withdrawal of former mayor and top candidate Kai Wegner.
Evers Leads Direct Mayoral Preference Amidst Candidate Recognition Challenges
According to the representative Civey survey, reported by Tagesspiegel, 20 percent of respondents would vote for Stefan Evers if they could directly elect the Governing Mayor. This places Evers significantly ahead of other top candidates, including Left Party candidate Elif Eralp, who garnered only 11 percent of the votes, ranking fourth.
However, the survey also highlights a significant challenge for many leading candidates across parties: a lack of widespread recognition and popularity. A substantial 24 percent of respondents, the largest single group, indicated they would not vote for any of the current candidates, while another 7 percent remained undecided. This suggests a disconnect between the party preferences and the public’s perception of individual leaders.
AfD’s Brinker Secures Second Place, SPD’s Krach Outperforms Party
Following Evers, Kristin Brinker, the lead candidate for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), secured second place with 15 percent. This figure, however, is lower than her party’s 18 percent showing in a recent Civey party poll, indicating a potential gap between party support and individual candidate appeal for the AfD.
Steffen Krach, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate, achieved 14 percent in the direct election poll, a two-percentage-point improvement over his party’s 12 percent in current surveys. This suggests Krach personally resonates more with voters than his party’s overall standing.
Significant Discrepancies for Left Party and Greens
The most striking discrepancies were observed for the Left Party and the Greens. Elif Eralp, the Left Party’s candidate, received only 11 percent in the direct mayoral poll, a considerable 10 percentage points behind her party’s 21 percent in overall polls. Similarly, Green Party candidate Werner Graf scored 9 percent, trailing his party’s 17 percent by 8 percentage points. These figures underscore the challenge these parties face in translating their broader support into strong individual candidate backing.
Survey Methodology and Upcoming Election Details
The direct mayoral election poll was conducted online by Civey between July 22 and August 7, surveying 1,500 eligible Berlin voters. The statistical margin of error for the survey is 4.3 percent.
Approximately 2.5 million Berlin residents are eligible to vote in the upcoming election for a new House of Representatives and new district assemblies on September 20, 2026. The results of this latest poll suggest that while the CDU may find some encouragement in Evers’ individual popularity, the overall political landscape in Berlin remains highly fluid and competitive.
Source: Tagesspiegel.de
