Germany's Scholz: 'Much more that unites us than divides us'

German society is less divided than widely thought, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a video message on Tuesday, two days after the far right failed to win a key election in the eastern state of Brandenburg.

"There is much more that unites us than divides us," Scholz argued.

The chancellor, who is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, appealed for dialogue between citizens on vital topics such as pensions, action on climate change, migration and the war in Ukraine, which have caused heated debate in recent state election campaigns in Germany.

"I hope that we continue talking to each other, not only about each other or past each other," he said.

The vast majority of the population, he said, know that Germany urgently needs workers from abroad in many sectors but also expect authorities to be able to choose who can arrive in the country.

Similarly, Scholz argued, most German residents favour supporting Ukraine while pursuing diplomatic avenues for peace.

While public attention often falls on extreme opinions, Scholz said: "It is not the loud ones who count. It is us, the many."