内容摘要：Retailers are "overflowing with customer information," becoming "easy targets for attackers," he added.

Retailers are "overflowing with customer information," becoming "easy targets for attackers," he added.

The elections will test the popularity of the governing CNDD-FDD party, a former rebel group which has been in power for the past 20 years.The East African nation was already one of the world's poorest countries, but residents there have been put under further pressure by a recent spike in the price of goods such as food.

Opposition parties have complained that their supporters have been harassed and intimidated by members of the CNDD-FDD's youth league, the Imbonerakure.Gabriel Banzawitonde, leader of the APDR party, said: ''People are so intimidated that they tell you they cannot wear any party colours other than the ruling ones'.But he said they were not giving in and "once in the voting booth, they promise to vote for you".

Several political analysts approached by the BBC declined to talk about the elections for fear of repercussions. One expert, who did not want to be named, said: "To avoid unnecessary trouble, you keep quiet."''We pointed out from the start that everything was being tailor-made [to fit the ruling party]," they said, suggesting that a CNDD-FDD win was a done deal.

Recently, some party officials have even been suggesting that a one-party system may be beneficial for Burundi.

Chronic shortages of foreign currency, which is needed for imports such as medicine and fuel, have led to a decline in Burundi's economic activity."Whatever Merz says is mood music, rather than being able to say that XYZ will happen, even if major nation states aren't without influence on the European Commission," she explained. "He has to tread a delicate line."

When it comes to Ukraine, Merz is vocal in his support of Kyiv and in his criticism of Moscow - recently warning that the fighting could drag on, despite repeated talk of a ceasefire from the White House.Justin Logan, director of defence and foreign policy studies at the Washington DC-based Cato Institute, told the BBC he believes Ukraine will present a "dilemma" for the German side in the meeting.

"They'll make a real effort to sell what frankly are the same arguments that have so far failed to persuade the White House," he said.Merz also has called for stiffer EU sanctions on Vladimir Putin and Russia - something Trump has so far not committed to, even as some lawmakers from within his own party have escalated calls to do so.