First raid, then Triell
The chancellor candidates Olaf Scholz and Armin Laschet are facing the second, but probably decisive, of the three TV triumphs on Sunday, this time on ARD and ZDF.
Maybe 20 million people tune in.
Great danger and great opportunity at the same time.
For Laschet, it is the last chance to re-imagine the Germans again, to try to reverse the trend. And the sudden favorite Scholz could be at the center of the attacks of the other two.
Green candidate Annalena Baerbock probably has the least to win or lose, she is now more likely to play than to win.
The decisive question for the Greens is from now on: will you make Laschet or Scholz chancellor?
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Candidate Scholz
Photo:
via www.imago-images.de / imago images / Political-Moments
Scholz goes to this TV round burdened.
The special unit of the customs against money laundering located in his department is suspected of thwarting punishment in the office.
Therefore, both Scholz's Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice were the target of a raid on the Osnabrück public prosecutor's office on Thursday.
The background to this is an investigation that is directed against those responsible in the so-called Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
The FIU is said to have not properly forwarded money laundering suspicion reports from banks "amounting to millions" to the law enforcement authorities.
Sounds complicated, but it doesn't sound good to Scholz.
The Ministry of Finance has not remedied the considerable deficits of the special unit for years.
Under Scholz, who has been in office since 2018, the house even denied clear warnings from the Federal Audit Office, as my colleagues Markus Becker, Jörg Diehl and Gerald Traufetter report.
The Social Democrats, on the other hand, suspect an intrigue of political competition.
The matter stinks from behind and in front, it is said from SPD circles.
Reference is made to Lower Saxony's CDU Justice Minister, who reports to the Osnabrück public prosecutor.
But one thing is clear: "Scholz did not prevent Germany from being a money laundering paradise to this day," commented my colleague Martin Knobbe in the SPIEGEL editorial.
Then there is the cum-ex affair and the Wirecard scandal.
Scholz also showed his weaknesses there.
Sunday will be exciting.
Investigations into customs special unit FIU: Scholz passed warnings to money laundering investigators
In the cave of Söder
Oh, the CSU and its CDU guests at party conferences.
It will not be forgotten how the then party leader Horst Seehofer humiliated the Chancellor on the open stage for 13 infinitely long minutes in November 2015.
And now Armin Laschet.
The common (!) Chancellor candidate made his appearance today at the CSU party congress.
Visiting friends?
It will hardly feel like this for Laschet after the Christian Socials have once again made it unmistakably clear in the run-up to the meeting who, if the worst comes to the worst, is to blame for an election defeat in two weeks: the guest.
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CSU boss Söder
Photo:
Daniel Karmann / dpa
Original sound from CSU General Secretary Markus Blume in an interview
with
SPIEGEL:
»Of course we would be better off with Markus Söder.
The consistently high approval ratings for Markus Söder show what potential we actually have as a Union. "
Today, special Christian social dialectics are needed to pump up Laschet's appearance for the hoped-for turnaround in the election campaign.
We can look forward to Söder's welcome and Laschet's speech.
To get you in the mood, I recommend our SPIEGEL cover story about the five mistakes made by the Chancellor candidate Laschet:
“There is a political drama to
see
these days, an erosion.
One people's party, supposedly the last, shrinks within a few weeks to 20 percent after having been the Chancellor for 16 years, «
write my colleagues Lukas Eberle, Christoph Hickmann and Veit Medick.
Laschet miscalculated during the election campaign: “He acted as if it were a matter of taking on an inheritance - and not of gaining approval, votes.
His bill was a democratic presumption. "
The Laschet disaster and the consequences for Germany: oops!
Upswing east
The sun is currently rising for social democracy in the east.
Because of all places where the SPD slipped to single-digit election results, the current soaring can be seen.
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Photo:
Danny Gohlke / dpa
This is particularly noticeable in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the state parliament will also be elected on September 26th and SPD Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig is fighting for her position.
Since May, the SPD has almost doubled its poll results, now reaching almost 40 percent.
My colleague Christian Teevs was out with Schwesig last week and he says he has hardly ever seen such cheerful Social Democrats before.
“Two things come together in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,” says Christian: “Schwesig's already good starting position and now the Scholz upswing as well. The party affiliation is traditionally lower in the East, the more it depends on the top candidates.
Both Schwesig and Scholz arrive, especially in contrast to the CDU opponents.
The end of the Merkel era could revive social democracy in the East. "
You can read the story of the upswing of the SPD in the East during the day on SPIEGEL.de.
SPIEGEL survey: Large majority have already made the voting decision
Winner of the day ...
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Photo:
Bernd von Jutrczenka - Pool / Getty Images
... are the Biontech founders Özlem Türeci and Ugur Şahin
with their announcement of the corona vaccine for under 12-year-olds in an interview with SPIEGEL: “In the coming weeks we will be
sending
the results from our study on the five to eleven year old to the authorities around the world and apply for approval of the vaccine for this age group, also here in Europe.
The data is already being compiled.
By the end of the year we expect the data on the younger children from six months. "
Where would we be without these two scientists?
Biontech founders Türeci and Şahin on the course of the pandemic: "We still have around 60 days as a society"
The latest news from the night
President Biden calls on the US to unity:
US President Joe Biden has addressed his nation on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
"In the struggle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength," he said in a video message.
Zverev fails in the semifinals on the "wall" Djokovic:
Alexander Zverev was able to defeat him at the Olympic Games six weeks ago.
But in the semifinals at the US Open, Novak Djokovic was too strong.
The Serb is now on the verge of a historic triumph.
Skoda is forced to build 100,000 fewer vehicles than planned:
The lack of chips has serious consequences for Skoda and slows down production at the VW subsidiary.
According to division head Thomas Schäfer, the lack of components will drag on into the coming year.
The SPIEGEL + recommendations for today
Bloated Bundestag: Up to 1000 MPs and no plan
Overrated SPD candidate: Keeping up with Scholz is the wrong way for Germany
My memories of 9/11: I stood in the dark and held my breath until it stopped
GDL boss Claus Weselsky: The triumph of the Saxon rage
I wish you a good start to the day.
Your Sebastian Fischer
