'It Will Be Fun': AfD Politician to Challenge Merkel at Upcoming Election

© AFP 2023 / Tobias SCHWARZGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel - Sputnik International
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Regional head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Lever-Erik Holm is going to campaign against Angela Merkel in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and, according to his own words, is planning to win the election.

According to the 46-year-old politician, his party convinced him to challenge Merkel at the next Bundestag election.

"It is, of course, extremely appealing to compete with the German Chancellor right here in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern," Holm told Sputnik Germany. "It will definitely be fun."

According to the politician, Merkel is rapidly losing popularity among the country's residents, especially due to her unsuccessful open-door policy toward migrants. The politician pointed out that the German Chancellor is responsible for hundreds of thousands of unregistered migrants arriving in Germany without any control, a trend that raised serious security concerns among the German population.

"We have to change all that," Holm said. "We need a candidate who is able to defend his position," he added.

German Chancellor and chairwomen of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Angela Merkel addresses a news conference in Berlin, Germany, September 19, 2016. - Sputnik International
Merkel Plans to Win Election by Gaining Support From Far-Right Voters
Since 1990, Merkel has always won the election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern electoral district, most recently during Bundestag election in 2013 with 56.2 percent. The AfD politician admitted that the upcoming election will be a challenge, but added that Merkel's decreasing popularity could change the situation a lot.

Germany is due to hold parliamentary elections in the fall next year. Angela Merkel, who has been ruling the country for three terms in a row, announced in late November her intention to join the fight for the fourth one.

However, Merkel's position on the immigration issue raised discontent across the country and contributed to the rising popularity of right-wing parties, like AfD.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaves a news conference in Berlin, Germany (File) - Sputnik International
Merkel's Party Defeat in Election Signifies Political Shifts Brewing in Germany
In May 2013, the party obtained representation in the state parliament of the German land of Hesse. By now, it has seats in 10 out of 16 state parliaments all across the country, including CDU's traditional stronghold in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Berlin.

In September 2016, AfD received 20.8% of the vote in regional parliamentary elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, ranking second ahead of Merkel's CDU party.

Next year, AfD looks forward to transforming its local successes into the federal level victory with the party projected to enter the German Federal Bundestag, where the parliament is seated, as the third largest party.

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