German Greens’ Chancellor Candidate Robert Habeck Criticizes ARD and ZDF for Refusal of Triel
German Greens’ Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck expressed his discontent and incomprehension on January 9th via X-Video, criticizing ARD and ZDF for not allowing a triel (three-way TV debate) between the parties. He believes that polls should be forced by the party’s supporters to increase the party’s visibility, as he sees himself as a suitable candidate for Chancellor of all Germans.
On February 23rd, the re-election date, Habeck emphasized his suitability for the top position, citing the importance of the future and the need to focus on it, rather than dwelling on past popularity and suitability polls, which he believes are biased by the previous government.
Habeck, in an X-Video, urged potential supporters and Green party sympathizers: “But the coalition is in the past! It’s now about shaping the future, about the new. Looking back won’t decide how we’ll vote in Germany on February 23rd, 2025.”
Habeck sees himself as a strong contender for the TV debates at ARD and ZDF, only compared to CDU’s Friedrich Merz and SPD’s Olaf Scholz, while consistently dismissing AfD’s Alice Weidel as a potential candidate.
At the end of the X-Video, Habeck made a call to action, saying: “If you want this country to have a broader choice than Friedrich Merz and Olaf Scholz, for the leadership of this country, then I ask you to support the Greens in the polls (..) You can contribute to this by supporting the Greens in the polls, so that the broadcasters must revise their decision.”
The next day, Andreas Audretsch, the Greens’ election campaign manager, jubilated on the right X-platform, saying: “Even at ZDF: Germany wants Robert Habeck as Chancellor. And the Greens are now ahead of the SPD. ARD/ZDF must re-plan. It would be wrong to exclude Robert Habeck without a good reason.”
According to a ZDF article, the current poll shows a “head-to-head race” between Friedrich Merz (27% approval, minus 2) and Robert Habeck (27%, plus 2), with only 14% of respondents wanting Olaf Scholz as Chancellor and less for Alice Weidel.
A survey in December last year showed Habeck and Alice Weidel were not considered at all, with Merz and Scholz receiving 45% and 43% approval, respectively. For the question “Who can be Chancellor?”, Habeck received a 30% suitability rating, while Alice Weidel got 12%.
The outcome of such polls is questionable, as shown by a survey by the INSA institute for the Bild newspaper, also from December last year.
The Rudi-Dutschke-Straße in Berlin has also spoken up, with the Welt newspaper titling on January 10th: “Suddenly, Habeck is the most popular Chancellor candidate – and outperforms Merz.”
A recent survey by Infratest dimap, conducted for ARD-Tagesthemen and Welt, showed that Habeck is the most popular candidate, with 28 points, followed by Merz with 25%, and Scholz and Weidel tied at 20%.