Parteien: Merz steigt in den Wahlkampf in Ostdeutschland ein

In just over a week, before the highly anticipated state election in Saxony-Anhalt, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) is making his first campaign appearance in Quedlinburg, Harz. He participates in a roundtable discussion with Landtag candidates, guided by Minister-President Sven Schulze through the Schlossgarten and then speaks together with the CDU's leading candidate in front of cameras.

Merz travels to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ahead of his appearance in Saxony-Anhalt, where he visits a campaign booth in Kühlungsborn on the Baltic Sea and discusses with entrepreneurs in Rostock. Saxony-Anhalt, governed by a red-red coalition, will hold its election in three weeks. This is Merz's first campaign stop in Saxony-Anhalt as well.

Sven Schulze, the CDU's candidate for Minister President, appears to be distancing himself from the Federal CDU. The 47-year-old Minister President diverges from Berlin and even campaigns against the CDU's central office. In the summer, Schulze opposed a key element of the black-red pension reform plan – the no-deposit pension after 45 years of contributions.

He repeatedly emphasizes that it is not his task to follow the Federal government's agenda, but to represent the interests of Saxony-Anhalt. He laments that the campaign is being overshadowed by issues that they cannot effectively influence.

Schulze also canceled a planned CDU Federal Presidium meeting in Magdeburg, citing the need for more campaign appearances instead of internal sessions. The exact timing of Merz's appearance in Saxony-Anhalt has been a subject of many weeks of discussion. Initially, larger appearances in Ilsenburg and Geiseltalsee were considered, but now a customary public campaign appearance is not planned. The only public appearance in Saxony-Anhalt will be a joint statement.

Following the Quedlinburg visit, Merz will return to Saxony-Anhalt on Thursday for a factory tour at UPM Biochemicals in Leuna, which is not open to the public. There will also be a joint statement. On September 5, the day before the election, Merz will appear in Hannover at a CDU Niedersachsen event, where local government elections will take place a week later. There, he will also speak in front of an audience and likely address voters in Saxony-Anhalt once more.