Three weeks before German elections, Chancellor Angela Merkel will face her rival in a televised debate Sunday, giving Social Democrat Peer Steinbrueck a last-ditch chance to revive a limping campaign.
Millions of voters, many still undecided, are expected to tune in to the campaign’s only TV clash, broadcast on five channels, between the two candidates battling for the leadership of Europe’s biggest economy.
“The two candidates could hardly be more different,” said political scientist Ulrich von Alemann of Duesseldorf University. “Merkel, the East German physician, is pragmatic, very cautious, calm. Steinbrueck is very masculine, ironic, likes to attack.”
In his campaign so far, Steinbrueck has struggled to score points against Merkel, who is widely regarded as Europe’s most powerful leader and admired at home for her level-headed stewardship through the eurozone crisis.
Steinbrueck, who prides himself on his political “straight talk”, has repeatedly stumbled over gaffes and missteps, which have earned him mocking media commentary and sniping from increasingly nervous party comrades.
“This duel is of course a chance for Steinbrueck to look stronger than Merkel,” said Berlin political consultant Michael Spreng. But he was quick to add: “Given Merkel’s almost insurmountable lead, it is unlikely this duel will turn around the campaign.”