Scholz vs. Merz: The TV duel of the Chancellor candidates under pressure!

Scholz vs. Merz: The TV duel of the Chancellor candidates under pressure!

noticeable differences are also shown in the current surveys. Merz clearly leads with the CDU/CSU, which is between 29 and 34 percent, while Scholz only comes to around 15 to 18 percent with the SPD. This means that Scholz will have to exert intensive pressure in the next two weeks, before the election on February 23, to catch up. The duel is considered crucial for Scholz because it offers many voters an opportunity to find out about the positions of the candidates. Experts like Marcus Maurer from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz emphasize that such an appearance can "bring a few percentage points" if one of the candidates is greatly perceived, but warn as caution with regard to the effect of body language and possible verbal slips, according to the Augsburger Allgemeine .

A competence struggle without time rules

The special thing about this duel: instead of the time accounts displayed, the speaking time is based on the direction, and there is no final statement. This regulation is intended to ensure that both candidates are treated equally. In addition, many more debates will be held in the next two weeks, including a controversial queue of individual and group debates, in which four candidates, including the controversial AfD boss Alice Weidel, will take part in another format. Such TV debates are considered significant moments for democracy and political opinion formation, since they could address a variety of voters who have not yet decided who they want to vote and could influence the political climate in Germany on a large scale.