Debate over AfD ban and Merz's policies dominate news

On 30 August 2026, German politics centred on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ARD summer interview and the coming state election in Saxony-Anhalt. Merz said an AfD victory would cause considerable harm to Saxony-Anhalt and warned of economic consequences and the effect on investors. He also said the 'migration turnaround' had been achieved and that he could imagine a first woman as Federal President.

A debate over banning the AfD continued, with a constitutional law expert seeing a legal risk in a partial ban. A poll found a majority would consider an AfD government harmful. Kubicki criticised the anti-AfD campaign, and the BSW was reported to want to join the AfD in refusing aid to Ukraine. Merz also announced a joint response by Germany, the EU and NATO to a drone incident in Leipzig.