Vor den Landtagswahlen: Fischbrötchen, Pfiffe und eine Warnung – Merz im Wahlkampf

Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz warned against the economic consequences of an AfD victory during his election campaign premiere in eastern Germany. "Saxony-Anhalt must not become an experiment field for angry citizens," he said after a joint visit with CDU candidate Sven Schulze in Quedlinburg, Harz. The two were closely guarded by police at the over 1,000-year-old city with its more than 2,000 half-timbered houses.

Voter contact had been unpleasant for Merz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where a new Landtag was elected on September 20th. In Kühlungsborn on the Baltic Sea, he visited a CDU election booth, was heckled by passersby and called a "war driver" and "Pinocchio." Another planned statement before cameras was canceled without an explanation from the CDU team.

In Quedlinburg, the head of the federal party, together with CDU candidate Sven Schulze, addressed journalists after visiting the historic Stiftskirche, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Despite the warning about possible economic consequences of an AfD victory, Merz expressed confidence in a last-minute comeback.

He pointed to the surprise win of the CDU in the last Landtag election in Saxony-Anhalt in 2021, where the CDU surprisingly won 37.1% of the vote, while the AfD received 20.8%. The CDU ended up with 37.1% and the AfD with 20.8%.