Bundestag election: final round with interesting nuances

The election campaign is a media battle like never before. In the last TV debate, the top staff of the parties from the Bundestag exchanged blows – but the candidates remained vague on some questions.

All parties represented in the Bundestag and their top staff were invited to the TV debate “Final Round”. When faces of the Chancellor candidates and chairmen were faded in in the last 90-minute TV talk before the federal election, some of the guests looked tired.

It started in a matter-of-fact, polite, disciplined way. The moderator duo contributed to this. Tina Hassel, head of the ARD capital studios and Theo Koll, head of the ZDF-Capital studio, had agreed well with each other. It shouldn’t be about the show and the headline, but about facts, positions and differences.

Differences could be seen

The bloody act in Idar-Oberstein, in which a cashier at a gas station was shot by a 49-year-old corona denier, offered an opportunity to comment on both the security situation and the corona policy. CDU Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet and SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz referred to successes in the fight against crime on the Internet. Green candidate Annalena Baerbock criticizes the fact that the “defensive democracy law” failed because of the governing coalition itself.

The positions of the outsiders were interesting: V-people should be abolished, said Linke boss Janine Wissler. The AfD co-chair Alice Weidel defended herself against the “stigmatization” of the Corona critics. CSU party leader Markus Söder warned that ‘lateral thinkers’ are very dangerous and that many are also anti-Semitic. Christian Lindner from the FDP advocated a “comprehensive modernization of the security architecture”. Everyone made their point, the differences can be seen.

References to the 1970s

How do the parties intend to deal with the housing shortage in Germany? Has politics failed? That the left is in favor of expropriating housing companies is nothing new. The Greens are not clearly positioned on this issue. Only when asked – “Do you want expropriation?” – Baerbock replied with a clear “No!”.

The SPD and CDU were close together. Laschet advocated “build, build, build”. Scholz referred to a successful housing policy under the social-liberal leadership in the 1970s. In finance and climate policy, the top politicians exchanged well-known positions that they have already voiced elsewhere.

Heated discussion on the subject of China

The long election campaign has so far done almost entirely without a discussion of foreign and security policy. Now it got exciting. Of course, everyone involved committed to a strong Europe. But how does post-Merkel Europe want to come to terms with the three great powers USA, China and Russia? There were pithy words. “We need a National Security Council!” Demanded Laschet. “I want a common European policy on China,” said Baerbock. “I am critical of the investment agreement with China,” said Lindner.

Now it got heated in the studio. Söder denied the Greens competencies in foreign policy and plumed Baerbock: “In between speeches doesn’t make it any better.” There was no discussion of what lessons should be learned from the failed Afghanistan mission. Under what conditions does Germany even want to send its soldiers abroad?

The ghost of red-green-red

In the room stood the specter of a red-green-red government. Again and again Laschet tried to drive his competitor Scholz into the left corner. He fended off: “I am against expropriation.” You took it from him, especially when you watch his facial expressions and gestures. Wissler sat next to him. But Scholz often looked at her in disgust or turned away from her almost demonstratively.

The body language spoke volumes. You could see that he would have loved to end the subject with a bang, following the motto: No, we don’t rule with the Left Party! But he can’t. He leaves the back door open, and thereby harms himself the most – his party wants it that way. Laschet took advantage of that. He knows that there will be no left-wing coalition with Scholz. Nevertheless, he warned several times about this ghost.

Baerbock ignored a question

Everything is said. Angela Merkel is leaving, who is coming? Laschet said he didn’t want to go with the Left or the AfD. But that was not a confession. Söder said Laschet would come, if necessary with the Greens and the FDP. Lindner can also imagine that. Baerbock ignored the question of coalition options.

Scholz advertised himself – knowing that it will not be enough. Wissler would like to work with the Greens and the SPD. Weidel also said: If so, then only the AfD. Votes will be held on Sunday. It will be a different Germany – a country that has to find itself first.