Chancellor Merz warns AfD majority would threaten investments in Saxony-Anhalt
Speaking in Quedlinburg on Sept 1, Merz said international investors would rethink plans if AfD took an absolute majority.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned on September 1, 2026 that a government led by Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt could seriously endanger the state's investment prospects and economic development.
Speaking in Quedlinburg during a joint campaign visit with CDU lead candidate Sven Schulze, Merz said: "Saxony-Anhalt must not become an experimental field for angry citizens." He added that if a right‑wing populist party wins an absolute majority, "then international investors will think three times about whether to continue investing in Saxony-Anhalt."
Merz says a late swing is possible
Despite the worrying polls, Merz expressed confidence that a turnaround could still occur during the final week before the state election on September 6. "A lot is at stake, but I am confident that on Sunday there will be a good result for Sven Schulze and for the CDU," he said.
Merz recalled the 2021 state vote, when the CDU achieved an unexpectedly strong victory. That year the CDU won 37.1 percent of the vote while the AfD took 20.8 percent — a result that diverged markedly from pre-election polls which had suggested a close race.
Current polls show AfD around 40 percent in Saxony-Anhalt, significantly ahead of the CDU at roughly 23 percent. The state will elect a new regional parliament on September 6, 2026.
After the Quedlinburg event, Schulze said there was "huge interest" in the campaign from both media and voters and noted a strong take-up of postal voting. He also told of ongoing talks with investors eyeing a three‑digit million euro investment into an industrial park nearby, quoting them as saying: "Mr Schulze, we will carry this out with you, but we will wait until 6 September, because we want to do it with you."
Photo: press material from the event
