Berlin, 3 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fell and injured himself while out jogging on Saturday and has cancelled a planned campaign appearance in south-central Hesse state for Sunday, a government spokeswoman told dpa.

The spokeswoman said Saturday that the 65-year-old chancellor had fallen while jogging and had bruises on his face, confirming earlier German media reports.

His appointments in the coming week are not affected, however.

Scholz was expected in Bad Homburg on Sunday to help regional candidates campaign for candidates running for his Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Hesse state parliament elections on October 8.

Top Hesse candidate Nancy Faeser, the federal interior minister who would like to become state premier, will launch her campaign as planned on Sunday, the SPD state association confirmed.

In addition to her federal government role, Faeser is the leader of the centre-left SPD in Hesse.

The state is home to Germany's financial captial, Frankfurt, and has a population of more than 6 million, making it an imporant electoral test for the SPD.

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is expected to also be at Sunday's campaign launch.

Photo: EPA