Elections

Merz and Scholz Making Final Pitches to Voters Before Election

WATCH: In Germany, an agreement between mainstream parties has blocked the far-right from power since the end of WWII. How strong is Germany’s so-called “firewall”?Source: Bloomberg

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By Iain Rogers and Michael Nienaber

February 21, 2025 at 7:01 AM UTC

Updated on

February 21, 2025 at 8:01 AM UTC

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German conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz and Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz made their final pitches to breakfast television viewers on Friday, with polls showing Merz solidly on course for victory in Sunday’s election.

Appearing on ZDF TV’s “Morgenmagazin” show, an energetic Merz pledged that a government under his leadership wouldn’t raise taxes to fund the hundreds of billions of euros of investment needed in areas like defense and infrastructure, saying it would be “poison” for Europe’s biggest economy.