- Title: Merkel emerges as clear winner of only TV debate - poll
- Date: 3rd September 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 3, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS OF SOCIAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE FOR CHANCELLOR MARTIN SCHULZ VARIOUS OF SCHULZ ARRIVING AND GREETING SUPPORTERS SCHULZ ENTERING DEBATE VENUE VARIOUS OF CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE FOR CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ARRIVING AND GREETING SUPPORTERS MERKEL ENTERING DEBATE VENUE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT (CDU) POLITICIANS WATCHING DEBATE AND APPLAUDING AT END (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU DEPUTY LEADER, JULIA KLOECKNER, SAYING: "I found Angela Merkel very sure of her facts, very in control, very authentic and above all she stayed very clear in her positions. Mr Schulz was really a mess, all over the place. He often said Merkel was right, and he often contradicted things he had said earlier, and he got a bit bogged down. Angela Merkel showed in the important points that she is a stateswoman, that she is a leader of government, whereas Mr Schulz is merely an election campaigner." SOCIAL DEMOCRAT (SPD) POLITICIAN AND GERMAN JUSTICE MINISTER HEIKO MAAS (SOUNDBITE) (German) SOCIAL DEMOCRAT (SPD) POLITICIAN AND GERMAN JUSTICE MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "I found it good. I thought Martin Schulz was very clear and took a clear line on foreign policy, when it came to Trump or Turkey, but also in the important domestic questions for example social justice, what is going to happen with pensions, what does the SPD want to do about education. Above all I thought Martin Schulz's closing remarks were very convincing, you can see that he is a great European and that is important: we won't solve today's big challenges alone, we need a strong Europe, and for that he is the best person you could imagine." CDU GENERAL SECRETARY PETER TAUBER (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU GENERAL SECRETARY, PETER TAUBER, SAYING: "Angela Merkel was just as people know her: calm, circumspect, level-headed, as a chancellor should be rather than just aiming for quick election points, and I thought that was very good." (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPD GENERAL SECRETARY, HUBERTUS HEIL, SAYING: "It was a strong, controlled performance by Martin Schulz because he spoke clearly on both foreign and domestic policy. He had clear positions on autocrats like Erdogan and Trump, and he made clear that Germany must invest more, for example in education and social cohesion. That was a difference from Mrs Merkel, who tried to avoid problems or hide behind the SPD. And now everyone can compare: it's either shaping the future with Martin Schulz or dealing with the past with Angela Merkel. So it's a clear choice on September 24." (SOUNDBITE) (German) CDU POLITICIAN AND GERMAN DEFENCE MINISTER, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, SAYING: "For me it was interesting to see when this combination was there, which one has a high international reputation but also cares about every detail here at home." VARIOUS OF MERKEL ARRIVING AND GREETING CDU POLITICIANS VARIOUS OF SCHULZ ARRIVING AND GREETING SPD POLITICIANS (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPD CANDIDATE FOR CHANCELLOR, MARTIN SCHULZ, SAYING ON WHAT IS NEEDED: "A chancellor who can lead this country in turbulent times. I think today it became clear that although Mrs Merkel has done things for this country, she lacks a plan for shaping Germany's future." SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING VARIOUS OF SCHULZ WITH SPD POLITICIANS
- Embargoed: 17th September 2017 22:22
- Keywords: Angela Merkel Martin Schulz TV debate public fans reaction winner
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0016X1K56V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her rival in September 24's general election Martin Schulz faced off in their only TV debate on Sunday evening (September 3).
Both were greeted outside the debate venue by crowds of cheering supporters. The 90-minute debate was watched by millions of voters at home, while politicians from both parties came together to root for their candidates.
Leading politicians from both Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Schulz's Social Democrats (SPD) parties claimed victory after the debate, but a poll showed a clear win for Merkel.
The survey by Infratest Dimap for ARD television showed that 49 percent viewed Merkel as being more credible while 29 percent favoured Schulz. Merkel's overall performance was viewed as more convincing by 55 percent, compared to 35 percent for Schulz. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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