East German leader styles self as one-woman bulwark to AfD

In the countryside of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a relaxed evening of lavender cocktails and onion cakes at Hasenwinkel Castle was interrupted by the looming state election on September 20. State Premier Manuela Schwesig, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), was present at the gathering. Despite the AfD's lead in the polls with 37%, the SPD remained at 33% and had narrowed the gap in recent weeks.

The conservative CDU, part of the federal government with the SPD, trailed behind and aimed to stay above the 5% threshold to enter parliament. The AfD's campaign focused on "remigration," but the state's business leaders emphasized that sending immigrants out would devastate the economy. Schwesig recounted encounters with voters, including a baker concerned about losing employees due to immigrant background and a planning firm head whose Moroccan employee feared social exclusion.

Schwesig aimed to prevent the AfD's victory, using her face alone on red posters with the slogan "The Woman against Blue." She criticized the federal government's policies and the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition, emphasizing her stance against their reform plans. Schwesig's popularity grew as she remained distant from the federal government and connected with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's people.