The German Chancellor and Social Democratic candidate for this Sunday’s elections, Olaf Scholz, opened the door to Increase defense expenditure above 2% of current GDPbased on the capacity criteria that will define the NATO This year it is necessary, he said in a citizen questions, his last public appearance before the elections.
“It is necessary to invest more in the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces),” said Scholz. The chancellor stressed that The expense has already increased from 37,000 million in 2018 to 90,000 million todayif all the games are taken into account, which is 2% of GDP.
Once the new NATO capacity objectives have been defined, a additional investmenthe said, although for this it is necessary Create social consensus through sustainable financing, possible through a debt brake reform that allows additional loans to assume.
But in any case, you have to “sincerely speak that it is a great effort,” said Scholz, in a Dardo towards his conservative rival, the favorite of the surveys Fredrich Merzthat did not go to the program and that usually evades the question of the financing of additional expenditure in defense.
Confronted with the same question, the current Minister of Economy and Verdes candidateRobert Habeck, said the Russian president, Vladimir Putin will continue to drive wars While he thinks he can go out with his.
Habeck acknowledged that in his youth he was an objector of conscience but that now he could no longer justify his position of that time, because on a strong army and capable of guaranteeing security “peace depends.”
Reintroduction of Compulsory Military Service
The party candidate Alternative ultra -right for Germany (AFD), Alice Weidel, advocated the reintroduction of mandatory military service, but He did not promise to increase defense spending.
Mandatory military service would be positive For young people to “identify” more with the army And also to learn to think “more strategic and intelligently” to avoid “there are climbs as now in Ukraine,” said Weidel.
The three candidates answered questions from ten undecided voters about issues such as Family conciliation, racism, migration, healththe fight against climate change or the future of the automobile industry.
According to polls The MERZ conservative block is expected to win the elections This Sunday with approximately 30 %of the votes, followed by the extreme right (20 %), Scholz Social Democrats (15 %) and the green (13 %).
