Armin Laschet missed his chance – the Union is now facing difficult times

On Sunday evening, the spectators of the second triall were offered exactly what they had been denied for a long time in the election campaign: a lively, sometimes emotional political debate.

For Armin Laschet it should be the break of the line. The Union’s candidate for chancellor had switched to attack, trying to pinch Olaf Scholz on the issues of red-red-green, Wirecard and money laundering. Laschet succeeded in what was seldom seen or heard before: he lured Scholz out of his reserve. The SPD chancellor candidate reacted almost emotionally for his circumstances.

But Laschet has not been able to turn things around. He is surrounded by the aura of the hapless. If he re-maps it looks petty. If he refers to successes in the state he ruled, he is not convincing. And the committed climate protector is only reluctantly taken away from him.