German opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Wednesday warned potential supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to “think carefully” about their decision ahead of next year’s elections. Merz – whose conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is leading in national polls with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) – said a strong performance for the AfD would likely weaken his bloc’s ability to form a coherent government. “The stronger the AfD becomes, the greater the influence of a coalition partner will be,” Merz argued in Berlin at an economic conferen…