Berlin Chooses Change in Rerun Election With Clear Lead for Conservatives

Berlin Chooses Change in Rerun Election With Clear Lead for Conservatives
Berlin's frontrunner for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Kai Wegner, for the rerun of state elections reacts at the regional state parliament in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 12, 2023. Lisi Niesner/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

BERLIN—Germany’s conservative CDU party was course for a clear victory in a repeat election in Berlin, in a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats who have governed the city state for 22 years.

An exit poll by broadcaster ZDF on Sunday put the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 28 percent of the vote, 10 percentage points more than in the 2021 election, which a court was ruled invalid due to irregularities.