A poll published Friday showed Merkel's CDU party and their Bavarian CSU allies commanding a strong 17-percentage point lead over the SPD. Merkel, who has mostly avoided referring to Schulz or any other election candidate by name, has so far refused to be drawn into a combative debate. Having already fought three previous general elections, the famously cautious Merkel is no stranger to the TV debate format. Schulz may be hoping to emulate the debate success of Gerhard Schröder, who as SPD chancellor in 2005 drastically narrowed Merkel's double-digit lead to a sliver. Schröder, despite his strong showing at the 2005 clash with Merkel – and the fact that he was the incumbent chancellor -- lost the election.

Source: The Local September 03, 2017 07:23 UTC