Merz campaigns in Saxony-Anhalt behind closed doors as AfD leads polls at 40%
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met local CDU candidates in Quedlinburg under heavy security, warning that an AfD victory in Sunday's state election would deter international business investment.
Low-profile appearance in Quedlinburg
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the town of Quedlinburg on Monday to support Minister-President Sven Schulze ahead of the state election on 6 September. The visit took place under tight security at the Schlossberg, where the area was closed off from the public with no street campaigning, public speeches, or party posters. Merz arrived by limousine and held a closed-door meeting with around 30 local Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidates and officials before giving a brief joint statement to reporters. Schulze addressed reporters on regional policy matters, including vocational training, schools, policing, and job programs.
It was the wish of the local CDU to hold this event in this manner.
Economic warnings and polling deficit
During the joint press appearance, Merz issued warnings about the economic consequences of a potential victory by the Alternative for Germany (AfD). He stated that an absolute majority for the right-wing party would jeopardize future foreign business investment in the state. According to a ZDF survey by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, the AfD leads voter preferences at 40%, while the governing CDU trails at 23%. Die Linke follows at 13%, the SPD at 9%, and the Greens at 6%, while the BSW and FDP each register 3%, placing them below the five percent electoral threshold.
Saxony-Anhalt must not become an experimental field for enraged citizens.
- AfD
- 40 %
- CDU
- 23 %
- Die Linke
- 13 %
- SPD
- 9 %
- Grüne
- 6 %
- BSW
- 3 %
- FDP
- 3 %
Campaign strategy across eastern states
The Quedlinburg stop was one of two scheduled visits by Merz to Saxony-Anhalt during the final stretch of the campaign. Earlier on Monday, the Chancellor appeared in Kühlungsborn in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where he encountered verbal protests from demonstrators ahead of that state's election in late September. In Saxony-Anhalt, the CDU leadership scheduled appearances away from larger urban centers such as Magdeburg, Halle, Dessau, and Wittenberg. Merz instead limited his itinerary to Quedlinburg and a planned visit on Thursday to the industrial chemical hub in Leuna, while local party dynamics remain strained after the Harz district chapter voted last year to reconsider the party's formal ban on cooperating with the AfD.
- Merz speaks in Kühlungsborn, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- Merz meets CDU candidates behind closed doors in Quedlinburg
- Scheduled campaign visit to the chemical hub in Leuna
- Saxony-Anhalt holds state parliament election
Coalition positions and governance challenges
The polling figures suggest complex coalition negotiations following the vote, with AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund seeking to unseat Schulze as head of government. In an interview with ZDF-Morgenmagazin, Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer ruled out forming any future state coalition between the CDU and Die Linke. Kretschmer noted that fundamental policy differences prevent formal executive cooperation, even as his own minority government in Saxony relies on occasional votes from Die Linke to pass legislation. At the federal level, Linke co-leader Ines Schwerdtner stated that her party could hold a decisive role in preventing an AfD-led administration, while Merz expressed confidence that the CDU would exceed current polling estimates on Sunday.
It is completely clear: there cannot be a government with the Left. The differences in content are so big, so huge. That is mutually exclusive.
