In a surprising turn of events, the public broadcasting corporations ARD and ZDF have announced that they will not be hosting a four-way debate between the chancellor candidates of the Union, SPD, the Greens and the AfD prior to the federal election on February 23. This decision was confirmed by the corporations’ spokespeople in an interview with the Tagesspiegel on Monday.
Recently, Union candidate Friedrich Merz had proposed expanding the planned TV duel with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to include Robert Habeck (Greens) and Alice Weidel (AfD). “A discussion round of four is certainly enlightening for the voters”said Merz to the media outlet WMH, which also includes the Westfälische Nachrichten.
Merz’s proposal received a positive response, primarily from Weidel, who expressed her willingness to participate in a high-reach television channel against him. Even Habeck’s campaign manager, Andreas Audretsch, signaled a willingness, stating, “It’s good that Friedrich Merz is willing to engage in an honest debate.”ARD and ZDF should, therefore, open the debate.
However, the corporations have now rejected this proposal, sticking to their original plan, which includes a duel between Merz and Scholz on the evening of February 9, followed by a second duel between Habeck and Weidel the next day, which had previously been thwarted by the Greens’ resistance to Habeck participating in a debate with Scholz and Merz.
Furthermore, the candidates from parties that consistently received over ten percent of the vote in the past year have been invited to alternative formats, such as the ZDF’s show “Klartext”in which the candidates from the Union, SPD, Greens and AfD will answer questions from citizens on February 13. Sahra Wagenknecht (Left) will not be participating in the TV duels.
For Merz, the proposal was also about creating a clear distinction from the AfD: “A direct face-to-face confrontation with Alice Weidel on television is my firm intention”said Merz. “Then it will become clear once again that the AfD and the Union have nothing in common.”
ARD and ZDF responded to Merz’s proposal with surprise, stating that they had previously invited him to a debate with Weidel on the show “Maybrit Illner”or “Markus Lanz”but Merz had to decline due to scheduling issues.