Federal election campaign: TV duels: Scholz and Merz meet on two Sundays

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and his most promising challenger, Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU), will meet in several TV duels in the federal election campaign. ARD and ZDF want to let them compete against each other on February 9th. RTL invites you on February 16th – “to the final and decisive exchange of blows” between the two.

The public broadcast duel – 90 minutes live simultaneously on the first and second two weeks before the election – will be moderated by Sandra Maischberger (ARD) and Maybrit Illner (ZDF). The edition of RTL, ntv and “Stern” – a week before the election – is moderated by Pinar Atalay and Günther Jauch.

In addition to “The Duel – Scholz against Merz”, another duel is planned jointly by ARD and ZDF, and Robert Habeck (Greens) and Alice Weidel (AfD) have been asked, the public broadcaster said. RTL also announced that it was “currently in discussions” with the other parties’ candidates for chancellor and top candidates about further duel combinations.

Greens criticize ARD and ZDF

The Green party leaders Britta Haßelmann and Katharina Dröge criticized the planned TV duel only between the candidates Scholz and Merz. “The days of the two major popular parties are over. Everyone knows that. The public broadcaster doesn’t yet?” wrote Haßelmann on Platform That doesn’t reflect our country.” Dröge wrote: “Say Das Erste and ZDF are really serious? To only invite the SPD & CDU? Back to the GroKo with friendly support?”

In addition to the Union, SPD, Greens and AfD, the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance also announced on Monday evening that it would name the party founder and top candidate as candidate for chancellor, “so that our competitors do not gain an unjustified advantage,” as General Secretary Christian Leye told the German Press Agency. What is probably meant, among other things, is that only top candidates named as candidates for chancellor could be invited to the television rounds.