Scholz, Merz face off in final debate – DW – 02/19/2025

To finish off, there is just enough time for one more light-hearted question with Scholz saying that he would happily climb into a plane piloted by amateur pilot Merz, “presuming his pilot’s license is real, of course.”

Merz said that he would also agree to get into a boat with keen rower Scholz. “And I’m a good swimmer, so I wouldn’t even need a life vest,” he joked.

Scholz however insisted that he is usually the strokesman in a two-man boat, the rower who sets the pace.

It’s looking unlikely that that will be the case in parliament come Monday morning, given the current polls.

But it’s not out of the question that Scholz and Merz could yet find themselves in the same boat.

As it stands, the CDU has a clear lead in the polls, meaning that Merz will, according to current figures, become Germany’s next chancellor — but at the head of what sort of government, exactly?

Currently polling at just over 30%, the CDU will require at least one coalition partner in order to form a majority government. Having ruled out working with the far-right AfD, that only leaves Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, two parties that were part of the coalition that just collapsed.

“The key will be to get so many votes that we have a strong mandate not just to head up a government, but to truly lead it,” said Merz, confident that he will indeed become chancellor.

“If our lead is big enough, we’ll ideally only need one coalition partner. And if that happens to be one of the previously governing parties, it’ll be interesting to see whether they will be prepared to reverse their own mistakes so that we can work to solve our country’s problems from the center.”

Ideologically, the CDU’s preferred coalition partners would traditionally be the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP), formerly the junior partner in Scholz’s coalition. But they’re currently facing a battle to overcome to minimum 5% hurdle required to even enter parliament.

“The FDP have maneuvered themselves into a difficult position,” said Merz. “I’d have preferred it to have been different.”

Scholz and Merz are now asked about their plans for security and policing, particularly in the wake of a series of attacks carried about by migrants. They are shown a video in which a woman in Munich calls on them to stop playing “political games.”

Scholz says his government has already introduced legislation to allow German authorities to identify perpetrators online and act before crimes are committed.

“And if crimes are committed, perpetrators must face tougher punishments,” he says. “Including, if they are not German citizens, deportation to where they came from.”

Merz first takes issue with the accusation of “party political games” and explains: “We are debating the right course for our immigration policy, and obviously we have different opinions in parliament.”

He admits that his party, which was in government for 16 years until 2021, is partly responsible for the current situation and says he has corrected the CDU’s migration policy internally.

He says he clearly disagrees with Scholz and the government on the numbers of migrants required, border controls and deportations.

Once again referring to the AfD, Merz highlights the example of Denmark, which he says has taken a tough stance on deportations.

“And there, the right-wing populists have pretty much disappeared,” Merz claims. “Here, they’ve doubled in support. And that’s the fault of this government.”

Chancellor Scholz refers to his “Made in Germany” bonus – proposed tax credits for companies who invest in German industry and in particular German infrastructure.

Merz isn’t convinced, saying it’s the “same old story from the social democrats” wanting “higher state spending.”

His solution lies in “cutting back the jungle of bureaucracy which this government has let grow even thicker.”

The debate now turns to the cost of living in Germany and, in particular, the rising costs of food.

“The main reason for increasing prices is the government’s energy policy,” argues Merz. “OK, the initial energy shortages came as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the issue has been exacerbated by a government ideologically clinging to a green energy revolution that simply doesn’t work.”

Citing the closure of three nuclear power stations, Merz promises: “Under my leadership, nothing will be shut down before we have concrete alternatives.” 

He also says German bureaucracy needs to be trimmed down in order to reduce costs for the customer.

Scholz offers three solutions to bring down the cost of peoples’ weekly shops: a reduction in VAT on food in supermarkets, encouraging competition among suppliers to drive down prices and ensuring a more stable general economic context by continuing to compensate for the turn away from Russian gas.

The two candidates are shown a video of a 58-year-old man from Berlin who says he lives off state benefits of €570 a month, plus paid rent. After paying bills and his phone contract, he says he “exists” off the remaining €400 or so and has no intention of working.

Scholz says he rejects the man’s attitude and insists that everyone should work to support themselves. “Benefits are not an unconditional basic income,” he says.

Merz agrees and says that the state ought to have a “serious chat with this gentleman” and offer him simple jobs, which Merz claims are readily available. “And if he refuses, then we should assume he has an income from elsewhere and scrap his benefits.”

Merz also takes issue with the German word “Bürgergeld” which translates as “citizens’ money” and, in his opinion, gives the impression that this is the sort of “unconditional basic income,” which Scholz referred to.

Having discussed the far-right AfD, Scholz is also asked whether he would work with far-left parties such as the Left Party or the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) if it gave him a chance to remain chancellor.

“I can’t imagine that,” says Scholz. “These are parties which both want to abandon Ukraine, which wouldn’t be up for debate with me.”

Rather, he says, it’s still the issue of right-wing extremism which is more pressing.

“Extreme-right parties have gained ground all over Europe, also with Brexit [in the United Kingdom] and the USA. It’s a challenge we all face,” Scholz said. “It’s fair to question whether our governments have contributed to that but I think the biggest challenge is more fundamental: we need to help people recover their confidence in mainstream politics so they don’t succumb to the hate and agitation of the extremists.”

It’s the first time the prospect of a left-wing coalition has seriously been raised in this campaign, and it’s worth mentioning here can perhaps be explained by the fact that two hosts of this debate are from the conservative newspapers Welt and BILD.

Unlike in Sunday night’s four-way debate, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is not represented in this evening’s head-to-head duel, but its presence in the polls and in German politics is felt.

Scholz again accuses Merz and the CDU of having broken a “taboo” in German politics by attempting to pass an anti-asylum motion through parliament with the support of AfD votes.

He says that Germany needs a strong SPD “to ensure that no one even thinks about the possibility of the CDU deciding to work with the AfD in any way, shape or form!”

Merz responds by denying that his party worked directly with the far right, insisting the CDU merely tabled a motion that the AfD also voted for.

“We did that because you have no more majority in parliament, Mr. Scholz,” he says. “And, with respect, it’s the fault of your government that the AfD plays any role at all! They came into parliament in 2021 with just 10.4%. Now, after three-and-a-half years of your government, your policies, unrestricted immigration, miserable economics, they’re at 20%. That’s the result of your policies, not our opposition.”

He insists once again that the CDU will not govern with the AfD.

Asked what he hopes to achieve from tonight’s debate ahead of election day on Sunday, Scholz claims that many voters are still undecided (see entry below), and says he is convinced that many will only make up their minds once they’re in the voting booths.

“And then I think many will put their crosses by the SPD and give me a mandate to continue,” he said. 

Merz replied, “There will be no miracle in the next four days.” Then he added, “Your chancellorship will be over on Sunday.” 

Asked why the CDU seems stuck on around 30% and whether it should be polling higher, Merz says: “After the defeat we suffered in 2021, being back where we are cannot be taken for granted.”

He says he hopes for a strong performance to make the CDU a clearly senior partner in any coalition and thus avoid the sort of government infighting which has plagued the current government. “Only then will Germany have a chance of real political change,” Merz says.

To lighten the mood slightly, the candidates are asked what their opponents can do better than them.

Referring to a recent election campaign video, Merz says of Scholz: “Rowing. And starting every other sentence with ‘I.’ He’s good at that.”

Scholz responds that Merz is also “good at starting every other sentence with ‘I.’ Oh and cycling. I’ve heard he’s a enthusiastic cyclist.”

And now we await the more serious questions …

To kick off tonight’s debate, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) are asked simply to describe the general mood in Germany, as they see it.

Scholz says he feels Germany is a “friendly country full of people who want to stick together and look to the future together.” He says the country has a “constructive spirit.”

Merz says he senses the country is paying “tense attention” to this election from people who are looking to the future with “a sense of insecurity.”

Filmmakers gathering in the German capital for the annual Berlin International Film Festival presented the government’s commissioner for culture and the media, Claudia Roth, an open letter urging parties not to cooperate with far-right groups ahead of Sunday’s election.

The letter, signed by some 2,000 members of the film industry, appealed to voters “to go to the polls and vote for democratic parties that stand for an open, inclusive and tolerant society in order to counter the shift to the right and the eroding understanding of democracy.”

“Successful filmmaking needs freedom of the arts, diversity and open-mindedness,” Roth said. “These are precisely the things that are being attacked and undermined by enemies of democracy and the rule of law.”

With the German election less than four days away, a fifth of eligible voters have yet to decide which party to vote for, a survey revealed on Wednesday.

A YouGov survey commissioned by the German dpa news agency was conducted between February 14 and 17, asking 2,430 respondents aged 18 and above.

Of those asked, 13% said they would make a final decision in the coming days, while 7% said they would decide on the day of the vote.

Thirty-eight percent said their mind was made up even before the election campaigning began, with 11% who said they always vote for the same party. During the campaign, 26% decided how they would vote.

Traditional media remains the most popular source of campaigning for voters, according to the YouGov survey, standing at 63%. It is followed by conversations with relatives, friends and coworkers, at 42%, with social media trailing behind at 27%. 

Only 13% of CDU/CSU supporters rely on social media, according to the survey. However, social media platforms are extremely popular among Left Party  supporters (43%) and far-right AfD supporters (40%).

Diplomats in the German Foreign Ministry say some ballots from Germans living abroad might not make it on time.

An estimated 3.5 million Germans living abroad are eligible to vote in the upcoming election, but only 210,000 have registered to do so.

Local German authorities sent the ballots to eligible voters worldwide only three weeks ago, and they must be returned by mail before Sunday at 6 p.m. Berlin time.

German embassies sometimes help transport ballots by diplomatic courier services. But diplomats in Berlin say it is probably faster to send the ballots with a regular private express mail service.

It is unclear how many ballots will not arrive on time, although authorities say it will be a small number because 85% of Germans abroad live in France, Austria or Switzerland. These countries should have relatively fast and reliable mail services.

Since 2008, when voting from abroad was established, German voters living away outside the country have complained about the slow and complicated system. This snap election could prove to be even more difficult, as it was organized under time pressure. 

A parliamentary commission was tasked with developing a proposal to improve the process, but it did not finish its work on time.

The Cabinet of Chancellor Olaf Scholz has held its last meeting before this weekend’s federal election.

“The mood seemed sunny, relaxed, in keeping with the weather,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

He added that despite the occasion, there were no “major emotional upsurges.”

Whatever happens in Sunday’s vote, Hebestreit added that Scholz and his ministers will remain in office and be “fully capable of acting” until such time as a new government is formed.

“Elections are part of democracy, as is a change of government from time to time,” Hebestreit said. “In this respect, this is common practice.”