In the strenuous final stretch before Germany’s election on Feb. 23, Olaf Scholz and Friedrich Merz found themselves in front of an audience unlike any other — children.
In a special television broadcast on the SAT.1 channel titled Kannste (nochmal) Kanzler? —Can You Be Chancellor (Again)? — the two candidates faced unscripted questions from a classroom of young interviewers, aged 7 to 14.
The children proved relentless, challenging the seasoned politicians on everything from government infighting to the rising cost of döner kebabs, a popular fast food in Germany with Turkish roots.
Scholz, pressed on the collapse of his coalition government — a three-party alliance that had struggled with internal disagreements — faced a blunt inquiry: Why hadn’t he appointed a “dispute-settling minister” to mediate between his feuding allies?
“That wouldn’t help if one side refuses to compromise,” the chancellor replied dryly, referring to tensions with his former Finance Minister Christian Lindner, leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP).
Merz, the conservative challenger from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and front-runner in the current election, faced an even more personal challenge. A 14-year-old named Rachid took issue with Merz’s past remarks about “small pashas,” a phrase the politician had used controversially in discussions about young immigrant boys allegedly lacking discipline.
“I felt like you were putting me in that category,” Rachid, born in Germany to Syrian parents, said pointedly. Merz, momentarily on the defensive, insisted his comments were misinterpreted: “That’s exactly not what I meant.”
The children also didn’t shy away from global crises.
Two students with family in Belarus and Ukraine demanded to know how Merz would end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. “We are doing everything we can,” he assured them, before pivoting: “But only Putin can stop it.”
Beyond policy, the candidates faced lighthearted moments. Scholz, often criticized for his stiff public persona, was made to answer questions using only facial expressions — until the kids upped the ante with a sour candy challenge, forcing the usually reserved chancellor to show some unfiltered reactions.
Merz, for his part, gamely played a round of foosball with the students.
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