Sven Schulze faces criticism after canceling media appearances

Sven Schulze, the CDU Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, is facing criticism following a series of canceled media appearances ahead of the upcoming state election. Schulze recently canceled a scheduled interview with Tilo Jung of 'Jung & Naiv', citing a 'short-term change in the schedule' without providing further details.

This follows a controversy involving podcaster Ben Berndt, who attempted to organize a debate between Schulze and AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund. While Berndt faced accusations of miscommunicating the timeline of Schulze’s willingness to participate, Berndt has defended his transparency by sharing chat logs. Berndt maintains that Schulze ultimately declined the duel, stating, 'Schulze did not want a duel. That is exactly what I said.'

The communication issues come at a difficult time for the CDU, as recent polls suggest the AfD is leading in the region with approximately 43 percent support, while the CDU remains significantly lower at 20 to 23 percent.