Merkel to Court Neglected ‘Ethnic German’ Migrant Voters Ahead of National Election

BERLIN (AP) – German politicians are reaching out to migrants from Russia in an effort to tap what’s seen as a long-neglected group of voters as Germany gears up for its general election.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to host a private reception Wednesday for representatives of ethnic Germans who emigrated from the former Soviet Union in large numbers from the late 1980s onward.

Some 2.3 million people from the former Soviet Union arrived in Germany over the past two decades.

The Christian Social Union, Merkel’s allies in Bavaria, and the nationalist Alternative for Germany party have sought to tap conservative sentiment among this group with online ads and posters in Russian.

German officials have expressed concern that Russia might try to influence Germany’s Sept. 24 election, including through misinformation in Russian-language media.