Scholz versus Merz: Who will win the central TV duel before the election?

Scholz versus Merz: Who will win the central TV duel before the election?

On February 21, 2025, a decisive TV duel took place between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and CDU leader Friedrich Merz. The event, which took place just two weeks before the 2025 federal election, is considered an important format in the election campaign to convince voters. The duel was moderated by Marion Horn (picture) and Jan Philipp Burgard (world).

A quick poll after the duel showed that 53% of respondents see Merz as the winner, while 27% preferred Scholz and 19% could not name a clear favorite. After the duel, Merz stated that he was not seeking cooperation with the AfD and called for a “leap of trust” for the Union. Scholz, on the other hand, called on Merz to make it clear that he did not want to be elected chancellor by the AfD.

Important topics of the duel

The discussion largely revolves around the topics of migration and the AfD. Merz spoke out in favor of complete monitoring of Islamist threats and criticized excessive data protection. He called for a migration and economic turnaround and emphasized that he would only sign a coalition agreement that took these points into account. At the same time, he expressed concerns about German migration policy and pointed to Denmark as a positive example. Scholz, meanwhile, advocated deporting criminals to their countries of origin and advocated a reduction in VAT on food.

With regard to the issue of citizens' money, Scholz called for sanctions for total refusers, while Merz suggested renaming it "new basic security". Merz blamed the traffic light coalition for the AfD's higher poll numbers and expressed confidence in the upcoming elections. Scholz advocated a democratic electoral process.

Both candidates also spoke about personal blows of fate and their current mood in Germany. The moderation of the duel came to the conclusion that further formats should follow, including a final round with all the top candidates.

As the Baden newspaper reported, Scholz accused Merz of “breaking his word” and “breaking a taboo” with regard to a five-point plan on migration, which the Union pushed through in the Bundestag with votes from the AfD. Scholz expressed concerns that Merz could enter into a coalition with the AfD after the election.

The duel between Scholz and Merz highlighted the current political trends and has potential implications for the upcoming elections.

For more information about the duel you can read the article Mercury read up.