Chancellor special: Who will win the TV duel between the top candidates?

Chancellor special: Who will win the TV duel between the top candidates?

The leading candidates for chancellor will meet in the most exciting TV debate before the federal election on February 16, 2025. In the RTL program “Quadrell”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz (CDU), Alice Weidel (AfD) and Robert Habeck (Greens) will present their positions directly on TV. This round of four replaces the originally planned duel between Scholz and Merz, which was motivated by rising poll numbers and growing political tensions oe24.at reported.

Particularly noteworthy is the moderation by the well-known RTL presenter Pinar Atalay and the popular Günther Jauch, who inspires many viewers. At 7 p.m., Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), Christian Lindner (FDP) and Gregor Gysi (Die Linke) will start with their statements. The election campaign is strongly influenced by the polls, in which the Union is clearly in first place - well ahead of the SPD, as is the case rtl.de highlighted.

Political tension before the election

The decision for the Quadrell was also made in response to the current political situation in Germany. Friedrich Merz had already emphasized at the beginning of the year that he was aiming for a direct duel with Alice Weidel on television, which points to the ongoing tensions and debates within the parties. After the tragic incident of a knife attack in Aschaffenburg, the election campaign situation is proving to be particularly tense and the formats must take the new circumstances into account, as the media reported.

This search for a new concept is also reflected in the fact that previous TV duels usually took place in the form of a three-way fight between the strongest parties. With the Quadrell, Germany's complex political landscape will become visible and the candidates will have the opportunity to comprehensively defend their positions in a direct exchange of blows.