{"id":43709,"date":"2025-02-16T17:02:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T22:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/german-election-candidates-clash-over-economy-in-four-way-tv-debate\/16\/02\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-02-16T17:02:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T22:02:04","slug":"german-election-candidates-clash-over-economy-in-four-way-tv-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/german-election-candidates-clash-over-economy-in-four-way-tv-debate\/16\/02\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"German election candidates clash over economy in four-way TV debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"relative mb-6 aisummary_shadowPulse__1H0Y3\">\n<div class=\"box-content rounded-[14px] bg-gradient-to-b from-[#c938e3] to-[#4941fb] p-0.5\" style=\"max-height:5rem\">\n<div class=\"rounded-xl bg-[#fcfbfb] dark:bg-inkwell px-5\">\n<div class=\"relative flex justify-between py-5 text-base font-semibold\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\"><button aria-label=\"Visually show the key takeways description\" class=\"group z-[2]\" data-ylk=\"elm:card;itc:1;sec:ai-summary;slk:key-takeaways;\"><span class=\"group relative text-left transition-all duration-1000 ease-in-out\"><svg class=\"absolute size-0\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><lineargradient id=\"svg-ai-icon-gradient\" x1=\"12.5\" x2=\"12.5\" y1=\"2.5\" y2=\"21.5\" gradientunits=\"userSpaceOnUse\"><stop stop-color=\"#3941FD\"\/><stop offset=\"1\" stop-color=\"#D136E0\"\/><\/lineargradient><\/svg><svg viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"mr-1\" fill=\"url(#svg-ai-icon-gradient)\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M21.5 6.5a6.77 6.77 0 0 1-4-4 6.77 6.77 0 0 1-4 4 6.77 6.77 0 0 1 4 4 6.77 6.77 0 0 1 4-4M3.5 14A12.69 12.69 0 0 0 11 6.5a12.69 12.69 0 0 0 7.5 7.5 12.69 12.69 0 0 0-7.5 7.5A12.7 12.7 0 0 0 3.5 14m7.5 3.638A14.5 14.5 0 0 0 7.362 14 14.5 14.5 0 0 0 11 10.362 14.5 14.5 0 0 0 14.638 14 14.5 14.5 0 0 0 11 17.638\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"sr-only !absolute !w-[310px] max-w-[80vw] translate-y-full rounded-lg bg-white text-sm font-normal opacity-0 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity ease-in-out group-hover:not-sr-only group-hover:block group-hover:p-4 group-hover:opacity-100 group-hover:delay-300 group-focus-visible:not-sr-only group-focus-visible:block group-focus-visible:p-4 group-focus-visible:opacity-100 dark:border dark:border-charcoal dark:bg-inkwell dark:shadow-dark-elevation-3\" id=\":R2mcb3dd8aqfnntkq:\" style=\"bottom:-2px\">Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what&#8217;s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.<\/span><\/span><\/button><span class=\"aisummary_textShimmer__CfX7D\">Generate Key Takeaways<\/span><\/div>\n<p><button aria-label=\"Expand Key Takeaways\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\":Rcb3dd8aqfnntkqH1:\" class=\"stretched-box text-batcave hover:text-grape-jelly focus:text-grape-jelly dark:text-bob dark:hover:text-thanos dark:focus:text-thanos\" id=\":Rcb3dd8aqfnntkq:\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:ai-summary;slk:key-takeaways;\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 13\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fill-current\" height=\"24\" width=\"24\"><path d=\"M6 6.897 3.547 4.443a.5.5 0 0 0-.699.002.493.493 0 0 0-.001.699L6 8.298l3.155-3.155a.497.497 0 0 0-.001-.7.493.493 0 0 0-.7 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The leading candidates to become Germany&#8217;s next chancellor clashed over the country&#8217;s struggling economy in a heated four-way TV debate on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, whose centre-right CDU\/CSU alliance is leading in the polls, criticized the shutdown of the country&#8217;s nuclear power plants and a supply chain law passed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz&#8217;s administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We have to get out of this recession,&#8221; said Merz, calling for the &#8220;bureaucratic monster&#8221; to be brought under control and for corporate taxes to be lowered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Economy Minister Robert Habeck from the Greens said the country&#8217;s strict constitutional rules on government borrowing need to be relaxed. He accused Merz of &#8220;voodoo economics.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Scholz meanwhile reiterated his Social Democratic Party&#8217;s proposal to reduce the burden on 95% of taxpayers, while those earning over \u20ac300,000 ($315,000).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Alice Weidel from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) called for energy prices to be lowered by focusing on nuclear power plants, coal and gas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Scholz accused her of talking &#8220;hot air.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>(L-R) Germany&#8217;s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, lead candidate of Alliance 90\/The Greens, vice-chancellor, and German minister for economic affairs and climate protection, and Friedrich Merz, top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) for chancellor, take part in the &#8220;Quadrell&#8221; TV discussion on the Bundestag election campaign in the studio. Kay Nietfeld\/dpa-Pool\/dpa<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Robert Habeck, lead candidate of Alliance 90\/The Greens, vice-chancellor, takes part in the &quot;Quadrell&quot; TV discussion on the Bundestag election campaign in the studio. Kay Nietfeld\/dpa-Pool\/dpa\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ARU6i479B2u37ZBzp87DCA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/dpa_international_526\/ffd280b8ac7a453e4e15e3710c901c01\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Robert Habeck, lead candidate of Alliance 90\/The Greens, vice-chancellor, takes part in the &#8220;Quadrell&#8221; TV discussion on the Bundestag election campaign in the studio. Kay Nietfeld\/dpa-Pool\/dpa<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"(L-R) Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, lead candidate of Alliance 90\/The Greens, vice-chancellor, and German minister for economic affairs and climate protection, and Friedrich Merz, top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) for chancellor, take part in the &quot;Quadrell&quot; TV discussion on the Bundestag election campaign in the studio. Kay Nietfeld\/dpa-Pool\/dpa\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/iKoWGr1MBX3s20VJlzGHIw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/dpa_international_526\/a01dff93f917f709e67b2eadf596b2e0\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>(L-R) Germany&#8217;s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck, lead candidate of Alliance 90\/The Greens, vice-chancellor, and German minister for economic affairs and climate protection, and Friedrich Merz, top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) for chancellor, take part in the &#8220;Quadrell&#8221; TV discussion on the Bundestag election campaign in the studio. Kay Nietfeld\/dpa-Pool\/dpa<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/german-election-candidates-clash-over-213327875.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what&rsquo;s in the article.<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/german-election-candidates-clash-over-economy-in-four-way-tv-debate\/16\/02\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43709"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}