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»Final round« by ARD and ZDF
Photo: Tobias Schwarz / dpa
This time everyone really came to the »final round« - and that at prime time.
As a reminder: four years ago, ARD and ZDF had invited the top candidates of the parties represented in the Bundestag - but Chancellor Angela Merkel and her SPD challenger Martin Schulz were represented shortly before the 2017 Bundestag election.
The round then only ran at 10 p.m. on TV.
Merkel will not run again on Sunday - and the race for her successor could not be more exciting: It goes without saying that her potential heirs from the CDU and the SPD do not want to miss these 90 minutes.
Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet and his social democratic rival Olaf Scholz are there as well as CSU boss Markus Söder, who would also have liked to succeed Merkel - and of course Green top candidate Annalena Baerbock, who is no longer really in the game with a view to the polls the Chancellery seems to be involved.
There are also FDP boss Christian Lindner, left-wing top candidate Janine Wissler and Alice Weidel from the AfD.
In a semicircle, each behind a kind of desk, they discuss hatred in society, a lack of living space, state finances, Germany's role in the world, climate change and future coalition models.
There is hardly any controversy, as a rule everyone speaks for himself.
How did the seven politicians fare in an interview with Tina Hassel (ARD) and Theo Koll (ZDF) - three days before the general election?
The overview:
Armin Laschet, CDU
In this TV round, too, Armin Laschet is struggling a bit - and this time it is not due to his challengers in the race for the Chancellery, but to CSU boss Söder, who is also sitting right next to him.
This time Söder speaks less than Laschet, but sometimes with clearer messages.
What remains of the Union Chancellor candidate from this round: He continues to rely fully on the fear campaign against red-red-green to lure voters to vote for the CDU and CSU.
To this end, Laschet attacks, for example, the housing policy of the left Berlin Senate.
"We have to be so strong as a Union that this coalition is not possible," he says.
Laschet is also clear when it comes to Nord Stream 2: When asked whether the controversial pipeline between Germany and Russia should be completed, he replies: »Yes«.
On the other hand, the CDU boss refused to determine whether he would also try to get a coalition together when he came second.
When asked about it, Laschet says: "We do everything for a Union-led government."
Olaf Scholz, SPD
On this evening, SPD chancellor candidate Scholz sends a message above all: a clear preference for the traffic light - on the other hand, he distances himself from a red-green-red alliance.
After Scholz demonstratively emphasized similarities with the Greens competitor Baerbock at the last triall of the Chancellor candidates, this time he makes FDP boss Lindner advances.
When it comes to finance, of all things, Scholz sends a signal of harmony: "I agree with Mr. Lindner," he says, referring to the importance of private sector investments.
A gesture to the future finance minister of a traffic light coalition?
The topic of foreign policy gives Scholz the opportunity to demarcate himself demonstratively from the top left-wing candidate Wissler.
"We need further increases in the defense budget," says the Social Democrat, who also wants the US nuclear weapons to remain stationed in Germany.
When the final round was explicitly about coalition options, Scholz reinforced the message once again with a clear commitment to NATO, to the partnership with the USA and to continued growth in armaments spending.
Annalena Baerbock, Greens
For Annalena Baerbock the evening starts moderately.
ZDF presenter Koll introduces her as the “top candidate” of the Greens, then corrects himself and says “candidate for Chancellor” as if he had briefly forgotten about it.
Baerbock's campaign thesis for the final spurt: "Greens against GroKo".
The Union and the SPD stand for business as usual, their party for a new departure.
Baerbock tries hard to set her points.
She calls for more staff in the judiciary and a tightening of the gun law.
In dealing with China, the Green politician is in favor of a common European stance, and in defense policy she advocates arming drones under certain conditions.
Baerbock is undecided on housing policy: It is not clear whether it is for or against expropriations from large real estate groups.
When asked about the wishes of a coalition, Baerbock said several times that a government with a “green leadership” was needed, which, in view of the polls of her party, seems to be trying very hard.
Overall, it's not Baerbock's strongest performance, but she doesn't make any big mistakes either.
Christian Lindner, FDP
Christian Lindner grinds his teeth, at first one has the impression that the FDP boss doesn't feel particularly comfortable between AfD woman Weidel (on his right) and CSU boss Söder (on his left).
But the seating arrangement evidently has a stimulating effect on Lindner, because he drives the sharpest attacks against his two seat neighbors.
He confronts Weidel with a question about China, whereupon ZDF man Koll briefly appoints him the »third presenter«.
The FDP leader accuses Bayern Söder of having a kind of split personality: it is very nice that "the CSU chairman" wants to receive the debt brake, but "the Bavarian Prime Minister" recently suggested in the state parliament to want to review the debt brake under constitutional law .
On the other hand, Lindner is sparing his preferred chancellor Laschet, after all, he would prefer a Jamaica coalition under the leadership of the CDU chief.
Lindner agrees with Green Chancellor candidate Baerbock that a tougher China policy is needed.
The usual differences are only revealed in climate policy: Lindner relies on certificate trading and otherwise wants to regulate as little as possible, while Baerbock stipulates climate protection measures for each individual sector.
Then the non-practicing Catholic Lindner utters an "Oh God oh God".
Alice Weidel, AfD
A lot is possible after the federal election.
Only the wish that the AfD top candidate Alice Weidel expresses when asked about her favorite coalition will certainly not come true: »Of course one with AfD participation«.
Weidel is once again playing the outsider that evening.
When it comes to the radicalization of the "lateral thinkers" movement, she warns of the "stigmatization of a protest movement" and even claims that it is made up of "largely Greens, SPD, CDU voters".
Climate change?
It has "always existed" with "warm and cold periods", with the shutdown of nuclear and coal-fired power plants "our industry will be destroyed".
Finances?
Among other things, the costs of "illegal migration" should be reduced.
Weidel, who has already left TV programs, briefly clashes with ZDF presenter Koll when she wants to explain the advantages of the latest generation of nuclear power reactors in more length.
"It doesn't help to get louder," says the journalist, parrying coolly: "You gave your answer, thank you very much."
Janine Wissler, left
Left-wing top candidate Janine Wissler flashes clearly in the direction of the SPD and the Greens this evening - and bypasses the problem areas for the joint government option.
Abolition of the protection of the constitution?
Wissler does not repeat the demand of the left and instead criticizes the controversial undercover agent system of the security authority.
Dissolution of NATO?
Be a distant goal, nothing that a federal government can implement.
China violates human rights, says the left-wing leader clearly: She does not mention that some of her comrades have already congratulated the Communist Party in Beijing on its 100th birthday.
Above all, Wissler emphasizes the similarities with the SPD and the Greens.
With the demand for an earlier coal exit, she approaches Baerbock, with the request for a wealth tax on the SPD (but not on their chancellor candidate Scholz, who actually does not want them).
Alone: Nothing really comes back from the people sitting next to you on the left.
So the R2G flirt that Wissler tries to do remains rather one-sided.
Markus Söder, CSU
It takes a while for Markus Söder to find his role in this big group.
The starting position is not easy for him.
Someone like him likes to be the center of attention alone, at the same time the CSU boss now has Chancellor candidate Laschet next to him.
He has often made it look small, so Söder has to withdraw even more immediately before the election.
The Bavarian Prime Minister has explicitly targeted the Greens leader Baerbock in the program.
Söder holds the Berlin "expropriation problem" against her, protests against "teaching dogmatics" against China, and speaks out against "renunciation and bans" on climate protection.
Söder distinguishes himself sharply from AfD candidate Weidel when it comes to the radicalization of the lateral thinker scene and the murder of a gas station cashier: "The AfD stimulates people who are insecure," says Söder.
FDP boss Lindner, of all people, provided Söder's most delicate moment when he pointed out to the CSU politician the inconsistency in his stance on the debt brake.
Söder can no longer react to this - perhaps an advantage.
In any case, the unpleasant situation is over quickly.