Sven Schulze, who became Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt three weeks ago, is focusing on leveraging his new office and economic policies to gain an advantage ahead of the September state elections, while also distancing himself from the AfD. Schulze, the CDU candidate, succeeded Rainer Haseloff and now leads a coalition of CDU, SPD, and FDP. Despite his busy schedule, including public appearances like carnival events in Köthen, public recognition remains a challenge, with many only recently becoming aware of him. Schulze, previously the Minister of Economy, is respected for his pragmatic approach and has garnered support from the business community for his focus on industry and his stance on making work more financially rewarding, such as proposing mandatory community service for citizen benefit recipients. He aims to defend the democratic center against the AfD, which currently leads in polls in Saxony-Anhalt, and is navigating internal party discussions regarding potential alliances.