During his first campaign event in Saxony-Anhalt, Chancellor Friedrich Merz once again issued a stark warning about the consequences of a potential far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) government for the state's economic development.

"Saxony-Anhalt must not become a testing ground for angry citizens," Merz said following a joint visit with Sven Schulze, the lead candidate for his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the current state premier.

Should a right-wing populist party secure an absolute majority, "then international investors will think twice - or rather three times - before investing in Saxony-Anhalt again," Merz asserted.

The chancellor expressed confidence, however, that a comeback could still be achieved in the final week before Sunday's election. There is a lot at stake, "but I am confident that there will be a good result on Sunday for Sven Schulze and the CDU," Merz said.

He recalled the last election in 2021. At that time, the CDU had won by a surprisingly large margin. The result differed significantly from the previous polls, which had predicted a neck-and-neck race between the CDU and the AfD.

In the end, the CDU secured 37.1% of the vote in the election, while the AfD received 20.8%.

A new state parliament will be elected in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6.

The AfD is well ahead of the CDU in the opinion polls, with figures hovering around the 40% mark, while the CDU stands at around 23%.

Earlier on Monday, Merz was booed and heckled at times during a campaign visit to the Baltic Sea resort of Kühlungsborn in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

On the beach promenade, some people called the chancellor a warmonger or Pinocchio, or chanted "Resign!"

However, they were also met with opposition from the crowd - from people who, for instance, appealed to the decency of the vociferous Merz opponents.

The chancellor's team did not issue a press statement as originally planned after his appearance.

Merz spoke to members of the public from behind the barriers at a campaign stand. Earlier, he had eaten a fish roll at a local restaurant and described it as "excellent."

The son of the restaurant owner, who is a fisherman himself, explained to Merz the problems he saw facing coastal fishing in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, such as catch limits or competition from grey seals. He said they were on the way to "abolishing coastal fishing in MV."

'Enormous' interest in Saxony-Anhalt election

After his event with Merz, Schulze said there was "enormous interest" in the election - from the media, but also from the public. He pointed to the high level of interest in postal voting.

The premier also stressed that he was currently in talks with investors who wanted to invest a sum in the hundreds of millions in an industrial park nearby.

However, they were making it very clear: "Mr Schulze, we'll go ahead with you, but we'll wait until September 6 because we want to do this with you," he added.

Merz has kept a relatively low profile in the campaign, while Schulze has sought to distance his state campaign from the national CDU leadership in Berlin, even openly challenging the party headquarters.