Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accused his main rival in Germany’s upcoming election of “constant about turns,” while Friedrich Merz, the opposition leader and front-runner, accused Scholz of leaving behind an economic “disaster.

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 and his conservative rival Friedrich Merz faced off in a heated TV debate on Sunday, exactly two weeks before the country heads to the polls. Scholz attacked Merz - whose conservative CDU/CSU alliance is leading in the polls on around 30% ahead of the election on February 23 - over his decision last week to pass a motion on migration reform in parliament with votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

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.

Center-right and center-left chancellor candidates clashed in a fiery debate, exposing deep divisions just weeks ahead of a national election.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz clash ahead of the February 23 election. Scholz accuses Merz of policy inconsistency, while Merz blames Scholz for economic downturn.

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.