Overview

• Robert Habeck, the Green Party's chancellor candidate, formally declined to participate in a televised debate with AfD's Alice Weidel, leading ARD and ZDF to cancel the event scheduled for February 10.
• Habeck cited concerns over fairness and questioned the justification for a one-on-one debate with Weidel, emphasizing the need for equal representation in election coverage.
• The only remaining televised debate before the February 23 Bundestag election will be between Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Friedrich Merz (CDU) on February 9, with RTL hosting a similar event a week later.
• ARD and ZDF are exploring alternative formats to ensure representation of both Habeck and Weidel, including potential participation in multi-candidate discussions and audience-driven forums.
• Other politicians, including Christian Lindner (FDP) and Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), had offered to step in for the canceled debate, but no replacement was arranged.