Merz urges voters not to turn Saxony-Anhalt into an electoral experiment

Friedrich Merz warned that Saxony-Anhalt could pay an economic price if the far-right Alternative for Germany wins an outright majority in Sunday’s state election.

“ Saxony-Anhalt cannot be a testing ground for angry citizens. In the end, the people of Saxony-Anhalt pay the price,” Merz told reporters during a visit to Quedlinburg with state premier Sven Schulze.

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Saxony-Anhalt cannot be a testing ground for angry citizens. In the end, the people of Saxony-Anhalt pay the price.

The warning followed polls placing AfD at 40%, well ahead of Schulze’s Christian Democratic Union, which stood at 23%. A majority could allow AfD to form its first regional government.

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If this region is no longer governable, and if, as is possible, a right-wing populist force wins an absolute majority on Monday, international investors will think three times before investing. This is not speculation.

Merz said companies were already raising concerns about the state’s political stability. “If this region is no longer governable, and if, as is possible, a right-wing populist force wins an absolute majority on Monday, international investors will think three times before investing,” he said. “This is not speculation.”

Schulze said companies were currently considering investments worth hundreds of millions in an industrial park, but were waiting until Sept. 6 before deciding. Merz also visited Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where regional elections are scheduled for Sept. 20 and where he backed CDU candidate Daniel Peters. NTV reported that Merz faced boos and whistles during a visit to Kühlungsborn, while a poll put the CDU at 10% there, behind AfD.

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We are currently negotiating with investors who want to make investments worth hundreds of millions in an industrial park, but they clearly say: ‘We will do it with you, but we are waiting until September 6, because we want to do it with you.’