A win in first round!

Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to have won Sunday’s TV election debate with her Social Democrat challenger Martin Schulz, despite finding herself on the defensive on a slew of key issues ranging from refugees and Turkey through to the car industry.

But while Schulz turned in an aggressive performance, repeatedly challenging Merkel, he appeared unable to deliver any meaningful political blows on the three-term chancellor as the campaign for the September 24 election entered its final weeks.

While 32 per cent of about 1,000 voters said in a poll released by public broadcaster ZDF that Merkel was the winner of the 97-minute debate, Schulz scored just 29 per cent, underlining the battle he faces in ending her 12 years at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy.

However, a hefty 39 per cent of those responding to the ZDF survey were undecided on which of the candidates was the more convincing.

This reflects the views of the wider community with opinion polls showing that almost 50 per cent of voters have still not made their minds up about how they will vote next month.

In a tightly controlled format, Schulz did manage to renew his attack on Merkel’s controversial handling of the migrant crisis, claiming she had failed to consult with Berlin’s European partners before opening her nation’s borders to allow refugees stranded in Hungary to travel to Germany. “I have made decisions in very dramatic situations — the euro and refugee crises,” Merkel replied. “I stand by these decisions.”

With the arrests of German citizens in Turkey casting a fresh shadow over ties between the two nations, Schulz also upstaged Merkel by declaring that as chancellor he would end EU membership talks with Turkey.

In addition, he dismissed US Donald Trump as too “unpredictable” to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Schulz’s volley of attacks forced the chancellor to follow up with detailed explanations of her long-standing opposition to Turkey’s EU membership and her call for Europe to play a more active role in the North Korean conflict. “I was always certain that Turkey would not become a member of the European Union,” she said.

Challenged by one of the four debate moderators about appearing reluctant to criticise the car industry as a result of the Volkswagen

diesel emissions scandal, Merkel hit back saying: “I’m appalled, I’m extremely angry.”

But Schulz also grabbed the headlines during the debate by confirming that if successful next month he would drop her government’s planned new highway toll. — dpa

Andrew McCathie