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Partially translated from the German
Incumbent Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger Peer Steinbrück debated their election policies on the television screens of an estimated 12-15 million Germans on Sunday evening, Bloomberg reported. Billed as a "television duel", the 90-minute debate was more of a diplomatic discussion, "a question and answer game rather than a phalanx advancing on the Chancellery", as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung put it, ahead of Germany's 22 September election. The two candidates frequently interrupted the four moderators while largely refraining from personal attacks on one another. Both candidates appeared relaxed, made no obvious gaffes and apppeared to have a good grasp of the issues at hand.
Three of Germany's largest polling companies called the debate with every outcome possible, one giving conservative Merkel the edge, another asserting a draw and the third declaring Steinbrück a narrow winner, reported Deutsche Welle. The TV channel ZDF, which had been staging the debate, said it was "on a level playing field".
European and domestic policies
As Reuters reported, Steinbrück accused the conservative Chancellor of crushing southern European countries with austerity in "deadly doses", failing to manage properly the exit from nuclear energy and overseeing a rise in low wage jobs. "For four years we have been at a standstill. I want to change this", he stated.
Merkel said that the SPD's plans to raise taxes would put Germany's prosperity at risk, and noted, smilingly, that Steinbrück's party had supported her euro policies throughout the crisis. She also said for the first time that Greece may need more aid and cited narrowing bond spreads in the euro area as evidence that her course is right for Europe and for Germany.
"Germany is better placed now than it was four years ago", she said at the start of the debate, setting out her stall for a steady hand at the rudder. In her closing statement, the Chancellor similarly told voters: "You know me and are aware of what I want to achieve and how I go about it. You have had four good years in Germany, and I would like the next years to be good ones as well."
Bloomberg reports further that Steinbrück said more Greek aid showed that the government’s crisis strategy wasn’t working. Far more emphasis had to be placed on bolstering economic growth and stemming record unemployment in the 17-nation euro region. Referring to a programme to tackle youth joblessness announced by Merkel earlier this year, he said "the question is what has come of it - so far it was only the savings club battering Greeks over the head".
"I would have followed a different crisis strategy", he said further. "Germany once got help too and we must not forget that", he said, referring to the Marshall Plan after the Second World War.
Merkel retorted that it was under SPD chancellor Gerhard Schröder that Greece had been allowed to join the euro in the first place. "As Chancellor I have a responsibility to ensure the reform pressure on Greece does not let up", she said. "There could be a new Greek package but nobody knows how big it will be." She also cited the "fortunate" rise in German bond yields and lowering of yields in other states as evidence "that the euro area is becoming more competitive".
No great impact
"Steinbrück needed a very clear victory to get out of his slump and he didn’t score that victory", analysed Jan Techau, director of the Brussels office of the Carnegie Endowment for Bloomberg. "Both had strong and robust moments", but "there was no clear winner". "It was roughly even, which at the very margin is good news for Steinbrück", agreed Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank in London. "His personal popularity gap to Merkel, which is huge, may narrow a bit. But I don’t think this will be a major game-changer for party preferences."
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung commented on the debate as follows: Mrs Merkel was calmly and routinely able to parry any attack made by Peer Steinbrück, who is known for being quick at repartee and spirited in debates. She clearly tried to take the wind out of his sails by referring to his involvement in previous governments. This, however, was not necessary as Steinbrück had in fact brought no wind into the studio. On the other hand, his composure was regarded as positive as, according to Reuters, "his challenge in the debate was to criticise Merkel's policies without appearing overly aggressive, and in that he largely succeeded".
As reported by Deutsche Welle, the lead candidates from the three next-largest German parties – the pro-business Free Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party - will hold their own three-way debate on Monday evening on national television.
Reuters mentioned that the last two German debates, in 2009 and 2005, had had little impact on the election result. After all, on 22 September people will be voting for the parties, not for the candidates.
See also Open Europe briefing note - New poll: German voters say next Chancellor lacks mandate to press ahead with further financial support for eurozone – a majority agree euro membership should be slimmed down © Open Europe
For further in depth analysis of the debate see the Deutsche Bank's German Policy Watch. © Deutsche Bank