Parties in Germany are making their final appeals to voters before Sunday’s elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin, according to DW. Several parties are staging large rallies as they seek to mobilize supporters ahead of the polls.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Greens are holding major events. The AfD is under particular scrutiny after winning another eastern state, Saxony-Anhalt, two weeks earlier. The state is currently governed by a coalition of the Social Democrats and the Left under Premier Manuela Schwesig of the SPD.
The contest in the northeastern state is expected to be close between the AfD and the center-left SPD, DW reported. The Greens are polling near the 5% threshold required to enter the state parliament, while surveys cited by DW put the CDU at about 6%.
In Berlin, the center-right CDU and the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance are also holding final campaign events. Polls show the CDU in a close race with the Left party, while the BSW may fall below the 5% threshold. Berlin is governed by a CDU-SPD coalition led by CDU Mayor Kai Wegner.
Voter uncertainty remains significant in both contests. DW cited the ZDF “Politbarometer Extra” survey, which found that 21% of voters in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and 23% in Berlin were undecided as of Thursday evening.
The results could have consequences beyond the two states, DW said, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s political future is being debated following the CDU’s poor performance against the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. The weekend also includes the opening of Munich’s Oktoberfest, while demonstrations described as pro-life and counterprotests are planned in Berlin and Cologne.