Photo: EPA/DPAThe state of Saarland said on Tuesday it would ban foreign officials from holding election rallies on its soil amid a raging dispute with Turkey over campaigning for a pivotal referendum. "After the recent debate about campaign appearances of Turkish government officials in Germany, Saarland will ban such appearances," the southwestern region said in a statement. Erdogan has been seeking to harness the Turkish diaspora vote, which numbers as many as 1.4 million in Germany alone. Facing an election in her own state later this month, Saarland premier Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said she would make use of a law allowing foreign officials' campaigning to be banned "when the peaceful coexistence of Germans and foreigners is threatened". "Internal Turkish conflicts have no place in Germany," Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

Source: The Local March 14, 2017 15:00 UTC