In their first and only one-on-one live TV debate ahead of the 23 February vote, centre-left Scholz - who is hoping for a late comeback amid poor poll ratings - went on the offensive against the conservative Merz.

BERLIN (Reuters) -German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his likely successor, Friedrich Merz, promised no collaboration with the extreme right on Tuesday in speeches to parliament before national elections on February 23.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz used his likely final statement in parliament before the election to intensify his attacks on Friedrich Merz, accusing the conservative frontrunner of dividing Europe for political gain and saying his “fickleness and bluster” make him unsuitable to run the country.

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz on Tuesday accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz of stoking "class warfare" as rivals faced off in the final parliamentary session before national elections on 23. In a major speech in the Bundestag,

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his conservative rival Friedrich Merz exchanged blows on Tuesday as lawmakers convened for a fiery final parliamentary session before national elections on February 23.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insists he would 'never' cooperate with the far right in the way he says his rival Friedrich Merz has done. Meanwhile, Merz said working with the AfD was out of the question.

German Chancellor Olaf Schlolz and his chief challenger in the upcoming elections, Friedrich Merz, agreed during a television debate on Feb. 9 that Berlin must continue supporting Ukraine and that Russia's war must end as soon as possible.