Chancellor duels 2002
In the chancellor duels before the federal election in 2002 , the then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder ( SPD ) and his rival Edmund Stoiber ( CSU ) discussed their respective positions on different topics. Above all, the high unemployment , educational policy and Germany's participation in the Iraq war were important . The first duel took place on August 25, 2002, it was broadcast by the RTL and Sat1 channels. The second duel was broadcast by ARD and ZDF on September 8, 2002. With 15.26 million viewers, the second duel attracted slightly more attention than the first duel (15.1 million viewers).
Contents of the first duel
The duel was moderated by Peter Limbourg and Peter Kloeppel . At the beginning it was about the rising unemployment in Germany, whereby Stoiber pointed out the danger for society and blamed his competitor for it. Schröder resisted and blamed the poor global economy for the rising unemployment rate . On the subject of immigration , Stoiber mentions that he considers it a mistake to stop immigration. Schröder only wants to allow immigration in the sense that only qualified specialists settle in Germany. When it comes to the grand coalition , both competitors are unanimous against it. For Stoiber, the grand coalition means a standstill in the state and Schröder wants to continue his previous governing coalition ( red-green ). On the subject of the Iraq war, both candidates agree that it is important to ensure that international observers are allowed to re-enter Iraq. However, Schröder criticizes the fact that they are trying with all their might to overthrow Saddam Hussein ;
Content of the second duel
The duel was moderated by Sabine Christiansen and Maybrit Illner . The themes of the second duel were very similar. It began with the debate about unemployment figures, whereby Stoiber accused the Chancellor of having failed with his labor market policy . The Chancellor countered by saying that in no other federal state did the unemployment rate rise as sharply as in the state of Bavaria , where Edmund Stoiber was Prime Minister at the time . The subject of coalitions was also brought up again, with Schröder once again pointing out that he wanted to continue his governing coalition. Stoiber again emphasized that the grand coalition means standstill, but did not want to comment on other possibilities. On the subject of the Iraq war, Schröder clearly positioned himself against war and thus against a German intervention in Iraq. Stoiber accused the Chancellor of straining German-American friendship with his lack of openness to talks with the USA . Next, possible options for the various cabinets of chancellors were discussed. The next big issue was basic services and education policy in the context of the PISA study . Both candidates spoke out against a centralist approach and advocated maintaining a federal education system . At the end there was another talk about the number of unemployed. Stoiber accused Schröder of failing to keep his promise to lower the unemployment rate and thereby endanger the social health insurance system in the future. Schröder replied that, in comparison with other European countries, he had ensured that there was no noticeable increase in Germany. But he also had to admit that he was partially unable to meet his set goals.
reception
After the first duel, there was then a discussion with the title “The TV duel - the analysis”. The moderators Astrid Frohloff and Dieter Kronzucker had experts as guests. Also present were Renate Köcher from the Institute for Demoscopy, Allensbach , the economic politician Lothar Späth, the SPD politician Manfred Stolpe and the ex-president of the BDI , Olaf Henkel .
The opinions of the experts were different. Olaf Henkel said that Schröder had more charisma, but saw Stoiber in the lead overall. Manfred Stolpe saw Schröder as the better candidate because of Stoiber's fixation on tax policy. Lothar Späth considers Schröder and Stoiber to be equal.
A Forsa survey after the duel showed that the then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder won the duel.
In retrospect, the format was heavily criticized. It was raised that the rules were too strict and that there was not enough room for discussion. The SPD has complained and pleaded for the rules to be changed.
According to a survey by Infratest dimap , Gerhard Schröder won the second duel.
Despite the defeat of the CSU, Stoiber said on election evening “One thing is clear. We won. ”He was referring to the 3.4 percent gained over 1998.
Compared to today
Nowadays there is only one duel that is broadcast simultaneously by ARD, ZDF, RTL and Sat1. The broadcasters have expressed their wish for a new format, but Chancellor Angela Merkel rejects any change.
Gerhard Schröder and Edmund Stoiber are friends today and get on well. Schröder describes the relationship between the two at that time as follows: "We were opponents, not enemies."
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Gabor Steingart: Analysis of the TV duel: Stoiber good, Schröder better . In: Spiegel Online . September 9, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ↑ a b c Quota in the TV duel: Even more than the first time . In: Spiegel Online . September 9, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ↑ TV duel: 15 million viewers . In: Spiegel Online . August 26, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ↑ Excerpts from the text: The duel in the original sound . In: Spiegel Online . August 26, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ↑ PHOENIX Library - video contribution. Retrieved July 19, 2019 .
- ↑ a b First TV duel: opponents on an equal footing / Experts saw almost equal top candidates in an exciting exchange of blows / In quick polls among viewers, the Chancellor was ahead. Retrieved August 19, 2019 .
- ↑ TV duel: surveys see Schröder ahead . In: Spiegel Online . August 25, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ↑ Reactions: "Catastrophic rules, tired questions" . In: Spiegel Online . August 26, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ↑ TV duel: SPD wants new rules . In: Spiegel Online . August 26, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ^ Vote after TV duel: Schröder clearly ahead of Stoiber . In: Spiegel Online . September 8, 2002 ( spiegel.de [accessed July 19, 2019]).
- ^ WORLD: Federal Parliament election 2002: When Edmund Stoiber wanted to become Chancellor . August 25, 2013 ( welt.de [accessed August 19, 2019]).
- ^ First German chancellor duel in 2002. Accessed on August 19, 2019 .
- ^ Matthias Iken: TV summit in Ottensen: Schröder and Stoiber at Beckmann. July 8, 2019, accessed on August 19, 2019 (German).