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Stefan Evers has been Berlin's Finance Senator since 2023 and is also acting Senator for Culture. In July he was nominated as the CDU's top candidate for the office of governing mayor, currently held by Kai Wegner. The House of Representatives election will take place on September 20th.
It's a quarter past eight in the morning and Stefan Evers is drinking Coke Zero and a carafe of apple juice. Evers has been Berlin's Finance Senator since 2023 and is also acting Senator for Culture. It was only in July that the 46-year-old was substituted as the CDU's top candidate for the scandal-plagued governing mayor Kai Wegner. Before the House of Representatives election on September 20th, he is fighting for first place with the Left. In the interview he explains how he wants to make Berlin a “capital of respect”.
DIE ZEIT: Mr. Evers, a week ago in Saxony-Anhalt, a right-wing extremist AfD narrowly missed out on an absolute majority in the elections and will probably govern. Have you already understood what exactly happened there?
CSU leader Markus Söder has rejected speculation about a replacement for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and emphasized that the Union must stand together to avoid being divided by the AfD. He still believes Merz is the right person to lead the government, despite criticism from his own party.
After the AfD's clear election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, the LSVD+ warns of dangers for queer people while emigration is being considered. At the same time, a festival is taking place at the historic Zschornewitz power plant that aims to talk about East Germany and bring culture to the region. Another article describes the situation in Cuba under the US embargo, discussing everyday difficulties and the lack of protests against the government.
CSU leader Markus Söder has rejected speculation about a replacement for Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the current legislative period and emphasized that the Union must stand together to avoid being torn apart by the AfD. He completely ruled out a replacement by the CSU and criticized the SPD for questioning everything after the election results. The CSU board met on Sunday in Munich to discuss the situation.
In Sweden the parliament is elected. The electoral system includes 349 seats, of which 310 are proportionally distributed and 39 are equal seats. Parties need at least four percent of the vote or twelve percent in a constituency to enter. All Swedish citizens aged 18 and over are eligible to vote.
The heads of state and government of the EU states as well as representatives of the EU institutions will be discussing future strategies for protecting the Arctic in Finland from today. The focus is on economic, environmental and defense issues. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) takes part in the two-day summit. A revised EU Arctic strategy will be announced for the autumn.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is planning to simplify the allowance system for police divers, patrol officers, criminal investigation officers, firefighters and correctional officers. Instead of detailed evidence such as water temperature or diving depth, there will be flat rates in the future. The reform is scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2027 and will cause additional costs of 45 million euros annually.