Merz reaches out to AfD voters before pivotal German regional election
Merz urged AfD supporters to judge his government on its record as polls show the party could win power in Saxony-Anhalt.
- On Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a 90-minute press conference in Berlin, urging voters to "look closely" at his government's record and avoid relying solely on social media.
- Merz's conservatives currently trail the AfD in national polls, facing the prospect of the AfD winning a majority and taking power in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt in September.
- The chancellor reiterated his party's commitment to the "firewall," a taboo against mainstream parties forming coalitions with the AfD, while downplaying prospects of loosening debt rules.
- Addressing international relations, Merz called for urgent European Union dialogue with China to address its "artificially undervalued currency," while noting Volkswagen's investment decisions remain internal.
- Merz said, "We are doing what we are doing today for our country," aiming to preserve freedom and peace for future generations in Germany over the next 80 years.
31 Articles
31 Articles
He came in a seemingly good mood. But Friedrich Merz (70, CDU) was not in the summer press conference.
Despite bad polls: Friedrich Merz said at his summer press conference that the coalition had "taken a step". He warned against the election of the far right AfD.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejected any interference from the United States, and from any country, in the regional elections that will take place in the autumn in the federated states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the extreme right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party leads the polls.
The chancellor speaks to the press: the last poll says 82% of the Germans are dissatisfied with his government, even 85% of him. "I'm worried and I'm trying to understand the reasons for it." He still says confidently to stem the extreme right in the East Lander, but he doesn't hide his fears.
The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that he is 'trustful' that he can prevent the far-right Alternativa party for Germany (AfD), the main opposition force, from obtaining the majority in the eastern regional elections of the country in September, a major test for his coalition government, reports AFP.
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- 39% of the sources lean Right
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