The first TV duel: Scholz against Merz - who wins the race?

The first TV duel: Scholz against Merz - who wins the race?

Bundestagswahl 2025, Deutschland - on February 9, 2025, just a few weeks before the Bundestag election, the first TV duel between the Chancellor candidates Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Olaf Scholz (SPD) takes place. The duel will be broadcast live on ARD and ZDF from 8:15 p.m. and lasts 90 minutes. The discussion is moderated by Sandra Maischberger and Maybrit Illner. In this first exchange of blows, the focus is on central social issues such as migration, economy and pension.

election researcher Matthias Jung has found in evaluations that, despite the ongoing migration debate, there are no significant changes in the surveys. Merz and Scholz have not faced each other live since the intensive discussion about asylum issues. Before the duel, there is already criticism of Merz that the AfD votes should have accepted for its asylum projects.

The election campaign and other duels

The Bundestag election 2025 will take place on February 23, and the parties are currently working on presenting their programs and positions. The TV duels are a central element in the election campaign. According to current surveys, the CDU has been ahead for months, while the traffic light parties fall back in voting. The Wahl-O-Mat for the Bundestag election 2025 is available to help the unclassified ones.

• 13. February: "Plain Text" on ZDF
• 16. February: "Quadrell" at RTL
• 17. February: "Wahlarena" at ARD
• 19. February: "Scholz vs. Merz" in the world TV
• 20. February: "The final round" on ARD and ZDF
• 22. February: "Bürger-Speed ​​dating" at ProSieben and Sat1

The candidates have different areas of priorities: Olaf Scholz emphasizes social justice, economic stability and climate protection, while Friedrich Merz puts the economic competitiveness, internal security and a harder migration policy in the foreground. It excludes a coalition with the AfD at the federal level, but demands a pragmatic attitude at the local level.

transmission and formats

The TV duel will not only be available on TV, but also as a live stream in the ARD and ZDF media library. On February 12th there will be a special edition in which Scholz and Merz will answer questions from school children.

The TV debates have become more and more a central platform for political disputes in the last election campaigns. Reports that shed light on the excitement and importance of these formats show that they are seen as a decisive element in the fight for voting. ZDF also plans a political exchange of blows with various small parties, which underlines the diversity of the political discussion.

For voters, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the positions of the top candidates in advance in order to be able to make an informed decision on election day, which is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Further information on postal voting and the processes are provided promptly by the responsible authorities.

Different formats and debates will offer voters numerous opportunities in the coming weeks to get to know the candidates and compare their political points of view. Merkur , Augsburger Allgemeine and Süddeutsche report comprehensively on developments in the election campaign.