State election on September 6: Merz warns against ‘angry voters’ in Saxony-Anhalt

Friedrich Merz used his first campaign appearance in Saxony-Anhalt to issue a direct warning about the economic consequences of an AfD victory. Speaking in Quedlinburg alongside CDU lead candidate Sven Schulze, the chancellor said the state must not become an “experimenting ground for angry voters.”

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Saxony-Anhalt must not become an experimenting ground for angry voters.

Merz argued that an absolute majority for a right-wing populist party could make international investors reconsider the state. “Then international investors will think three times about whether they still want to invest in Saxony-Anhalt,” he said. He nevertheless predicted a late surge for the CDU during the final week before Sunday’s vote and said he expected a good result for Schulze and the party.

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Then international investors will think three times about whether they still want to invest in Saxony-Anhalt.

The CDU won the previous state election in 2021 with 37.1% of the vote, while the AfD received 20.8%. That result exceeded polling at the time, which had forecast a close contest. Current surveys show a different balance, with the AfD around 40% and the CDU near 23%.

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Huge interest

Schulze said the election had attracted “huge interest” from both media and voters. He also pointed to strong participation in postal voting. The minister-president said he was negotiating with investors who wanted to put a three-digit million-euro sum into an industrial park nearby. According to Schulze, the investors had made clear that they supported working with him but would wait for the September 6 result.

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Mr. Schulze, we will do this with you, but we will wait until September 6 because we want to do it with you.