German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made his first pre-election visit to the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt and again warned that the coming to power of the far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfG) poses a danger to the economic development of this federal region, DPA reported, BTA reported.
"Saxony-Anhalt must not become a training ground for angry citizens," Merz said after a joint visit with the regional premier and leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) list for the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze.
If a far-right populist party comes to power, "Foreign investors will think twice about investing their money in Saxony-Anhalt again", the German leader said.
The chancellor is nevertheless optimistic that not everything is lost before Sunday's regional elections there and that a turnaround is still possible. The stakes are high, "but I am sure that Sven Schulz and the CDU will achieve good results on Sunday", Merz said.
He recalled the 2021 elections. Then the CDU won by a surprisingly large margin. Previously, sociologists predicted a close battle between the conservatives and the AfD. In the end, the CDU won 37.1% of the vote, while the AfD won 20.8%.
According to sociological surveys, the AfD is leading the conservatives by a very large margin. Data from public opinion surveys show that the support the party enjoys in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of Sunday's election is around 40%, while for the CDU it is somewhere around 23%.
Earlier yesterday, the chancellor was booed while participating in a campaign event in Kühlungsborn on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
On the promenade, some called the chancellor a "warmonger" and "Pinocchio" and chanted "Resign!". However, they were met with resistance from the crowd present, who called on the German leader's noisy opponents to be decency.
After his visit, Merz's office did not issue a press release, as originally planned. During his visit to Kühlungsborn, he spoke to locals in front of his party's campaign stand, behind barricades, listening to their stories and problems.