Friedrich Merz (2ndL), leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, the CDU party's top candidate for Brandenburg's regional state elections Jan Redmann (2ndR) and the CDU's top candidate for regional elections in Thuringia Mario Voigt (R), pose during a campaign event ahead of Brandenburg's regional state elections in Brandenburg an der Havel, eastern Germany, on September 4, 2024. Brandenburg's regional state elections will be held on September 22, 2024. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)