Leading contenders make their final appeals to German voters before a landmark election

BERLIN (AP) — The contenders in Germany's election made their final appeals to voters Saturday, with opposition leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz vowing to revive the stagnant economy and defend Europe's interests in the face of a confrontational U.S. administration.

Chancellor OIaf Scholz, meanwhile, insisted that he still hopes for an improbable last-minute comeback.

Germans are electing a new parliament Sunday after a campaign focused on the state of Europe’s biggest economy and calls to curb migration, while uncertainty has grown rapidly about the future of Ukraine and the strength of Europe’s alliance with the United States.

It appears to have done little to shift parties' position in polls. They have consistently shown the center-right opposition, main challenger Merz's Union bloc, in the lead. It's ahead of the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, which is on course for the strongest result for a far-right party since World War II, but has no other party willing to go into government with it.

Scholz's center-left Social Democrats have shown little sign of coming back from a large poll deficit after the chancellor's three-party coalition collapsed in November following a long-running argument about how to revitalize the economy. That led to the election being held seven months ahead of schedule.

At a closing rally in a Munich beer hall, Merz told supporters that “three years in opposition are enough."

Germany is a traditional leader of the 27-nation EU and the bloc's most populous member, but like fellow heavyweight France has been consumed in recent months by domestic instability. Merz said that “with me, Germany will have a strong voice in the European Union again.”

“Europe must be a player and not ask maybe to get a seat at a side table,” he said. “No, we must sit at the main table; and we must safeguard our interests against Russia, against China, and if necessary also with respect to America.”

“Anyone who shows up there as a dwarf is treated as a dwarf and sent home as a dwarf,” Merz added.

He said, however, that “we will only gain respect in this European Union again if ... we finally overcome our country's economic weakness.” He said that was “overwhelmingly homemade.”

Merz also underscored his calls for a tougher stance on migration, which created friction in recent weeks. Last month, he brought a nonbinding motion calling for many more migrants to be turned back at Germany’s borders to parliament. The motion was approved thanks to votes from Alternative for Germany, or AfD — a first in postwar Germany that prompted opponents to accuse Merz of breaking a taboo. He rejects the criticism.

“We will under no circumstances discuss any talks, never mind negotiations or a participation in government, with AfD,” Merz said Saturday.

At an event in Potsdam, which he represents in parliament, Scholz again cast doubt on Merz's reliability and portrayed his party as the strongest bulwark against AfD playing any role.

“Anyone who wants to be sure this doesn't happen must ensure that there are strong Social Democrats and that they can provide the next chancellor," Merz said.

On the sidelines of an earlier event in Potsdam, Scholz said that he was “convinced that, this time, many people will only make their decision at the polling station.”

“I don't believe in miracles, but in an election victory," he said, German news agency dpa reported.

If Merz does win, it's unclear whether he will be able to put together a two-party coalition or need a third partner, a more awkward prospect.

“If we govern, we need few partners and not an endless number of them,” senior conservative ally Markus Söder said in Munich.