German Chancellor and Social Democratic candidate Olaf Scholz sat through a televised debate this week and made clear that after the vote next Sunday he would not form a government that includes Die Linke or Sahra Wagenknecht’s offshoot alliance, BSW, because of sharp disagreements over military aid to Ukraine. I cannot imagine it. They want to leave Ukraine alone, and that is off the table, he said during a direct exchange with his main rival, conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who currently leads in most polls. The remark framed a campaign built around coalition boundaries and the line between principled policy and political reality.
Responding to moderators, Scholz reiterated that this option is off the table and that there are no plans to form a coalition with Die Linke or with BSW, a party his own cabinet has cooperated with at the regional level in some states. In the current surveys the SPD sits around 15 percent, trailing the far right, and it is unclear whether they could secure a stable majority even with a potential alliance that includes the Greens, Die Linke, and BSW if BSW enters the Bundestag. Yet such a coalition would be the sole path for the SPD to lead the government and keep Scholz as chancellor. Still, Scholz noted that many voters remain undecided and he expressed confidence that the public will grant a clear mandate to govern on Sunday.
Merz, whose bloc is forecast to reach about 30 percent in the polls, dismissed the idea of a left coalition and argued that the far right has increased its vote share during Scholz’s tenure as a result of migration and economic policies pursued by the current tripartite government. Mr. Chancellor, there will be no miracle in the four days left until the election. Your chancellorship will likely end on Sunday, Merz asserted, urging voters to consider the consequences of another term for the ruling coalition.
In the debate organized by Welt and Bild, the two candidates opened up about more than policy. Scholz described his private life as very happy and said he feels fortunate in love and work, while Merz revealed for the first time publicly that his younger sister died at 21 in an accident and that his younger brother suffers from a degenerative disease, experiences he says left deep marks on his family. These personal disclosures added a human dimension to the confrontation and reminded viewers that the campaign sits at the intersection of public duty and private life.
Observers note that the election race is entering a phase where coalition math dominates the conversation while personal narratives on stage shape voters’ perceptions. Reporters tracking German politics in North America recognize how the outcome could influence transatlantic discussions about NATO, security, and Europe’s approach to Ukraine. The vote will set the tone for Germany’s stance on foreign policy, the economy, and its role within the European Union in the months ahead, even as the country weighs its domestic priorities and political temptations in the closing days before polling day.