Germany’s CDU and SPD candidates for chancellor are set for the key debate broadcast on all four main TV stations with more than 15 million expected to watch. Merkel is tipped to come out ahead of Schulz.
With only three weeks to go until the general elections, Germany’s highly anticipated and only TV debate between top chancellor candidates Angela Merkel and Martin Schulz starts at 8 p.m. local time (1800 UCT) on Sunday, shown on ARD, RTL, Sat.1 and ZDF. The debate gives the pair their main chance to land their punches live before the public ahead of the vote of September 24. Questions will be put to them by four presenters.
A poll by research agency Forsa for Stern magazine indicated about half of the electorate planned to watch the debate – about twenty percent of those polled said the debate could change the way they vote.
The 90-minute match-up will see Schulz, of the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) try to convince Germany to leave behind their right-leaning Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chancellor, who has the distinct advantage of twelve years of experience in her post, during which Germany has sailed relatively unscathed through a variety of challenges.
Schulz has tried to capitalize on Merkel’s perceived lack of personality and enthusiasm in his campaign, highlighting his rough-and-tumble youth and experience in European politics. Meanwhile he has accused the chancellor of being “aloof” and out of touch with voters through her famously unflappable demeanor.
“The last four years of the Kohl era were a period of stagnation and political agony. I want to spare Germany that again,” Schulz said, referring to Helmut Kohl’s fourth term in office, a record Merkel would tie should she emerge victorious in the election. Deutsche Wells reports.
Merkel has highlighted German prosperity while seeking to reassure conservatives about policing and immigration. Merkel told the Rheinische Post on Saturday she wants to continue police checks at German borders which were introduced in September 2015 and are due to expire in November.