Nick Miles

And when it was severed last year, late last year, patrols were increased in the area. And now we're hearing from the EU that they're going to increase surveillance security in the area. It's going to be incredibly difficult, though, isn't it, to secure all these cables? And it's a regional problem, not just a problem for Sweden or Finland.

And when it was severed last year, late last year, patrols were increased in the area. And now we're hearing from the EU that they're going to increase surveillance security in the area. It's going to be incredibly difficult, though, isn't it, to secure all these cables? And it's a regional problem, not just a problem for Sweden or Finland.

Sascha Schlichter If the opinion polls in Germany two days before the general election are to be believed, the next chancellor will be the Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Metz. But little is expected to change because he'll have to form a coalition with at least one of the parties currently in government.

Sascha Schlichter If the opinion polls in Germany two days before the general election are to be believed, the next chancellor will be the Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Metz. But little is expected to change because he'll have to form a coalition with at least one of the parties currently in government.

That is because he's ruled out any cooperation on any matter with the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AFD. Mr Merz made his fortune as a corporate lawyer in the city of Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the heart of the prosperous German West. On Friday, he went back there to speak to voters. The BBC's Nick Robinson is also in the city.

That is because he's ruled out any cooperation on any matter with the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AFD. Mr Merz made his fortune as a corporate lawyer in the city of Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the heart of the prosperous German West. On Friday, he went back there to speak to voters. The BBC's Nick Robinson is also in the city.

I've come to the Schlüssel, one of the oldest beer halls in Düsseldorf. where the beers are being lined up on the bar. One thing not on the menu for most people is conversation about the election. Because politics divides people here, scares people even. In a way, it hasn't for many decades.

I've come to the Schlüssel, one of the oldest beer halls in Düsseldorf. where the beers are being lined up on the bar. One thing not on the menu for most people is conversation about the election. Because politics divides people here, scares people even. In a way, it hasn't for many decades.

Who are you going to vote for?

Who are you going to vote for?

Even here in a city that is a symbol of German prosperity, home to the country's fashion industry and to many European multinational headquarters, even here in Dusseldorf, voters are anxious. Anxious about what's coming next for this country. Anxious about the divisions visible everywhere. Not least in the Hitler moustaches added to election posters.

Even here in a city that is a symbol of German prosperity, home to the country's fashion industry and to many European multinational headquarters, even here in Dusseldorf, voters are anxious. Anxious about what's coming next for this country. Anxious about the divisions visible everywhere. Not least in the Hitler moustaches added to election posters.

Today, the Christian Democrats' Friedrich Merz, the man everyone expects to be Germany's next Chancellor, is coming home for an Eva Pohl rally to the city where he made a fortune, to the region he was born in and now represents. On stage at the Merz rally today, introducing the man expected to be Germany's next Chancellor, is Thomas Jatzenbeck, the CDU MP for Dusseldorf for the past 15 years.

Today, the Christian Democrats' Friedrich Merz, the man everyone expects to be Germany's next Chancellor, is coming home for an Eva Pohl rally to the city where he made a fortune, to the region he was born in and now represents. On stage at the Merz rally today, introducing the man expected to be Germany's next Chancellor, is Thomas Jatzenbeck, the CDU MP for Dusseldorf for the past 15 years.

Does the fact that Friedrich Merz is himself a successful, a wealthy man help with that message?

Does the fact that Friedrich Merz is himself a successful, a wealthy man help with that message?

Friedrich Merz may lead the same party as Angela Merkel, but that is where the connection ends. They couldn't be more different. He, a self-confident, even brash and wealthy businessman who likes to fly around the country in his own private plane. She, a low-key scientist from the East who prides herself in doing, not talking. He blames her for many of Germany's biggest problems.

Friedrich Merz may lead the same party as Angela Merkel, but that is where the connection ends. They couldn't be more different. He, a self-confident, even brash and wealthy businessman who likes to fly around the country in his own private plane. She, a low-key scientist from the East who prides herself in doing, not talking. He blames her for many of Germany's biggest problems.

Who wins the election here on Sunday isn't in much doubt, unless, of course, the polls are hopelessly wrong. What is in doubt is pretty much everything else. German prosperity, German unity, German security. Even here, in oh-so-comfortable Dusseldorf, the old certainties are being shaken and shaken for good.

Who wins the election here on Sunday isn't in much doubt, unless, of course, the polls are hopelessly wrong. What is in doubt is pretty much everything else. German prosperity, German unity, German security. Even here, in oh-so-comfortable Dusseldorf, the old certainties are being shaken and shaken for good.