Merz, Weidel, Scholz & Habeck
Showdown shortly before the choice: what is important at TV Quadrell
For the first time in this election campaign, the Chancellor candidates from Union, AfD, SPD and Greens meet in a TV quadrell from RTL, N-TV and star directly on each other. Who can score?
Seven days before the Bundestag election, the SPD and Greens cling to a weak hope: those still undecided. He wanted to win, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on ZDF these days. “And I also know how many are still very tie.” He was therefore “very confident that many of those who have now become uncertain” would choose him. Depending on the survey institute, 30 to 40 percent of Germans should not yet know who they want to vote in the end.
SPD man Scholz and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from the Greens on Sunday evening: Then judge RTL, N-TV and star a TV quadrell. For the first time in this election campaign, the four Chancellor candidates from Union, AfD, SPD and Greens meet directly on television – i.e. the four parties that are strongest in the surveys.
The Union is clearly ahead with around 30 percent, followed by the AfD with around 20, then SPD and Greens with between 14 and 16 percent. So far, these values seem almost concreted. Sometimes one percentage point high, sometimes one down, but there is not much dynamics to be observed in the past few weeks. Can one of the candidates in the TV debate turn the situation? Union candidate Friedrich Merz proves why he is in front?
TV quadrell: Scholz prefers the duel
In any case, for Scholz, the quadrrell is not a preferred experimental order. The SPD wants to present its candidate as the only one who has a chance to contest Friedrich Merz the Chancellery. After the public television stations and initially also RTL announced such a duel between the Chancellor and the opponent in polls from the Union, this stuck the green bitter, among other things-they rank in a maximum of a few percentage points to the SPD, or even on par.
At the end of January, Union politicians Merz had spoken out to expand the TV duel on public television around Robert Habeck from the Greens and Alice Weidel from the AfD. In direct meetings with Weidel on television, it should be clear “that AfD and Union do not have anything,” said Merz. However, ARD/ZDF left her round with a duel. After the fatal knife attack by Aschaffenburg and the subsequent developments, RTL finally expanded the discussion to a four -round round.
After an asylum seeker attacked again on Friday-a 24-year-old Afghan drove into a demonstration train in Munich-internal security and dealing with migration should play an important role in the TV debate. Friedrich Merz had already announced that it would indicate the closure of the borders on the first day of his chancellorship, the SPD rejects this.
The candidate Alice Weidel, on the other hand, should try to present her AfD as the only party with which something would actually change after the election in the area of migration.
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However, according to a recent Forsa survey for RTL/NTV, for which 2,502 people were interviewed from February 4th to 10th, the migration is not the only urgent topic for the citizens. It primarily employs the Bundestag election itself (70 percent) and the poor economic situation (36 percent). Only then will immigration (25 percent), the situation in the USA (25 percent) and the war in Ukraine (19 percent). The climate and the environment only consider nine percent to the most important issue, the role of the AfD only seven percent.
If the Germans could choose the Chancellor directly, according to Forsa survey Friedrich Merz would be the favorite. 24 percent would vote for him, 23 percent for Robert Habeck. Olaf Scholz would only be in third place (17 percent), Alice Weidel in fourth place (15 percent). The Chancellor's preference values have hardly changed in the past ten weeks.
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For the fact that one of the candidates in the TV debate can really spark a momentum for themselves, it would probably need a portion of courage and breaking out of the usual pattern. After the debate of Merz and Scholz at ARD/ZDF last Sunday, the technical language of the two candidates was criticized, and the fact that few real -life topics were discussed. Also a starCommentary had "more simplicity! More joke!" required. It is open whether Friedrich Merz, Alice Weidel, Olaf Scholz and Robert Habeck want to take this to heart.
You will find out on Sunday evening: The discussion moderated by Pinar Atalay and Günther Jauch will be at RTL, NTV and in the live stream from 8:15 p.m. star broadcast.
In a live blog on stern.de we keep you up to date and signs about the most important statements in the debate. A team of facts checkers of the star Will check the statements of the four candidates during the current program - also to be found at stern.de.
Transparency note: The star is part of RTL Germany.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
