The leader of Germany's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party Friedrich Merz (C), the CDU party's top candidate for Brandenburg's regional state elections Jan Redmann (R) and Saxony's State Premier and top candidate of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party for regional elections in Saxony Michael Kretschmer (L) reacts on stage 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)