Heated Clash of Chancellor Candidates Marks Pre-Election TV Debate
A week before the German federal elections, the four chancellor candidates from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Greens, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) engaged in a fierce exchange of views on key political issues. The four-way debate on RTL exposed starkly contrasting positions on topics such as migration, economic and financial policy, the Ukraine war, and pension policy. According to a Forsa poll of viewers, CDU/CSU candidate Friedrich Merz emerged as the winner of the two-hour broadcast.
Migration
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) stressed his determination to further reduce irregular migration to Germany. "We will continue our efforts and must persevere," he said, adding that the number of deportations had increased by 70% since the beginning of his term.
CDU leader Merz countered that Germany was currently receiving as many new refugees in four days as it deported in a month. He urged the government to initiate talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan on the repatriation of refugees.
Green candidate Robert Habeck emphasized that the Taliban were a "terrorist regime" with no diplomatic relations with any country. Negotiating with the Taliban, he argued, would amount to "conferring a seal of approval on this regime."
AfD candidate Alice Weidel expressed concern over the number of people entering the country without permission: "People no longer want this loss of control in our country."
US Vice President’s Interference
The controversial speech by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference reverberated through the TV debate. In Munich, Vance had stated that there was no room for "firewalls," indirectly referring to the German debate on maintaining distance from the AfD. He warned of the threat to democracy posed by such divisions.
Scholz denounced the speech: "What was said there is completely unacceptable." He emphasized that Germany had learned from its Nazi past that there could be no cooperation with the extreme right. Merz reiterated that the Union would not consider any cooperation with the AfD. "And I forbid such interference in the German federal election and the subsequent formation of government," he said.
Scholz’s reference to Nazism prompted an indignant response from Weidel: "I find this comparison scandalous. I reject it for myself personally and for the entire party."
The AfD and Extremism
The Chancellor also recalled statements made by AfD honorary chairman Alexander Gauland in June 2018, who had said that Hitler and the Nazis were "just a bird poo in over 1000 years of successful German history." Gauland later described his remarks as "misinterpretable and therefore politically unwise."
Weidel retorted: "You can insult me here tonight as much as you like. By doing so, you are insulting millions of voters. It does not affect me at all. I am merely representing those voices. Please make a note of that."
Merz labeled the AfD "a radical right-wing party, and largely extreme right-wing." He accused Weidel of "elevating" AfD far-right figure Björn Höcke. In an interview with the newspaper "Bild," Weidel had said: "Björn Höcke and I get along very well." She described her previous attempt to expel Höcke from the AfD as a mistake. When asked if she considered him suitable for a ministerial position, Weidel replied in the affirmative.
Economic and Fiscal Policy
Scholz, Merz, Habeck, and Weidel also found no common ground on economic and fiscal policy. Scholz and Habeck accused the Union and the AfD of proposing socially unjust tax policies that would primarily benefit high-income earners. They also criticized the lack of funding for the plans, with Habeck referring to the Union and Merz as purveyors of "voodoo economics."
Merz countered that Scholz and Habeck were pursuing misguided economic policies that had led Germany into recession. He cited the Supply Chain Act and the phasing out of nuclear power plants as examples. "We need to get out of this recession," he said. "We need to get this bureaucratic monster under control." The CDU leader also advocated for lowering corporate taxes.
Scholz reiterated the SPD’s proposal to reduce taxes for 95% of taxpayers and increase the burden on the wealthy. He argued that anyone earning over 300,000 euros per year, like himself as Chancellor, should pay more taxes.
AfD leader Alice Weidel said energy prices should be lowered through technological openness, such as baseload-capable nuclear power plants, coal, and gas. She called for an end to the massive subsidies for renewable energy as well as the CO2 tax.
Opinion Poll: Merz Wins, Habeck Most Sympathetic
During the broadcast, the polling institute Forsa surveyed 2004 viewers to determine who had performed best. Merz came out on top with 32%, well ahead of Scholz with 25%. Habeck and Weidel each received 18%. However, Habeck was judged the most sympathetic, with 34% of respondents selecting him, compared to 23% for Merz, 19% for Scholz, and 17% for Weidel.
When asked who could best lead the country, Merz again came out on top with 42%, followed by Scholz with 19%, Weidel with 16%, and Habeck with 13%. However, the poll also made it clear that the four-way debate was unlikely to have much impact on the election outcome. 84% of respondents said their voting decision had not been influenced by the debate, while only 10% said it had.
Election Tactics and the Uncommitted
The four-way debate was moderated by two well-known RTL personalities: Günther Jauch from the quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and news anchor Pinar Atalay from "RTL Direkt." They ensured that the candidates’ speaking time was roughly equal, with time limits being enforced and displayed on screen.
RTL had initially planned a TV duel between Scholz and Merz, similar to the one that had been broadcast on ARD and ZDF the previous week. However, the broadcaster subsequently expanded the round to include Habeck and Weidel, terming the format "Quadrell."
The parties hope that such talk shows will help them sway undecided voters. Recent opinion polls conducted by research institutes have shown little movement, although the group of undecided voters remains significant. In the latest ZDF "Politbarometer," 28% of respondents indicated that they were still unsure whether they would vote and, if so, for whom.
In the polls, the CDU/CSU hovers around 29-32%, followed by the AfD at 20-21%. The SPD stands at 14-16%, while the Greens are at 12-14%. The Left party is poised to re-enter the Bundestag with 6-7%, while the BSW and the FDP face the risk of failing to reach the 5% threshold, with 4-5% each.
Scholz, Merz, Habeck, and Weidel had already appeared as guests on the ZDF show "Klartext" last Thursday, where they were questioned individually by viewers. On the following Monday, they will reunite on ARD’s "Wahlarena," where they will once again face questions from citizens. On Wednesday, Scholz and Merz will engage in a second duel on Welt-TV and bild.de.
On Thursday, ARD and ZDF will conduct a grilling of all the leading candidates from the parties and groups represented in the Bundestag. Even on Saturday evening, the broadcasters Pro7/Sat1 are planning a final roundtable discussion with the chancellor candidates.
