Germany: Merz avoids state campaign trail, eyes international stage
With CDU facing weak forecasts in eastern German state elections, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is turning his attention to international diplomacy, while AfD's Ulrich Siegmund dominates the campaign in Saxony-Anhalt.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is keeping his distance from the campaign trail in eastern Germany, where his CDU party is expected to post weak results. Instead, he is looking for opportunities to take the spotlight on the international diplomatic stage, according to the latest episode of POLITICO's "Berlin Playbook" podcast, produced by Maximilian Stascheit and Hans von der Burchard.
AfD candidate leads in Saxony-Anhalt
In Saxony-Anhalt's state election campaign, attention is centered on AfD's lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund, known for his consistently friendly public persona. Frederik Schindler, a journalist with WELT and co-host of POLITICO's "Inside AfD" podcast, explains how this upbeat brand of populism masks extremist positions. According to Schindler, Siegmund's popularity has even overshadowed prominent Berlin-based AfD figures such as Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla.
Left party's position
In a short 200-second interview, Eva von Angern, the Left party's lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, discusses the conditions under which her party might consider moving closer to the CDU, and where she believes no compromises will be made.
The episode is part of the daily "Berlin Playbook" podcast, produced each morning from 5 a.m. by Rixa Fürsen, Maximilian Stascheit and the POLITICO team, offering a rundown of political developments in the German capital.
