Portraits of the two candidates for chancellor from the Union parties and the SPD were part of every federal election campaign. With decreasing party affiliation, their personality values ​​also became more and more important. This election campaign is unique: for the first time since the election of 1949, no incumbent chancellor has tried to be re-elected. At the same time, because of their good poll numbers, the Greens are making their own offer for the most important function in the state. In Germany there will be a new Federal Chancellor and a change of government. That makes the choice difficult to calculate. For many voters, therefore, the question of which personality will lead this country through the years to come will be of decisive importance. The chancellor bonus of a proven crisis manager is missing. Angela Merkel once summed it up in three words: "You know me."

The report by Ben Bolz and Philipp Grüll, broadcast on the first on Sunday evening, reflects this constellation. “They want in there. The fight for the Chancellery ”, so the title. This is to be understood as an allusion to Gerhard Schröder, who, as a young member of the Bundestag in Bonn, shook the fence of the Chancellery. His unconditional will to power cannot be felt in the three candidates, but the spirit of the times has also changed since the 1998 election. Not least because of the presidential style of government over the past sixteen years. The two authors give the protagonists the opportunity to tell us viewers something about their lives. What has shaped you biographically and what does that mean for your future administration?

The authors are reluctant to make judgments; the three candidates speak for themselves. Olaf Scholz reports on his professional experience as a lawyer; Armin Laschet, as he became a member of the Bundestag at a young age; Annalena Baerbock, as she was asked by a Green MEP after finishing her studies in London if she would like to work for her. Life paths are different, but not everyone wants to become Federal Chancellor, that's how it can be summed up.

The strength of this report lies in its reluctance. The viewers get a good insight into the actions of the three candidates. The always cautious Scholz is just as cautious when dealing with criticism. When asked about the consequences of Agenda 2010 for the SPD, he refers to the consequences drawn from it. He comments on the scandals that occurred during his tenure as Federal Minister of Finance, such as the one about the DAX group Wirecard: It is a matter of tackling a problem with courage. He "always handled it that way, also in this case".

Laschet had to fight hard for his candidacy for chancellor, which distinguishes him from his two opponents. In a relationship he is a phenomenon: to create what nobody believed him to be capable of. So he became Prime Minister in Düsseldorf, the CDU party chairman and candidate for chancellor of the Union. He was always underestimated, so the question asked how he dealt with it: "I have never underestimated myself."

Annalena Baerbock, on the other hand, has to cope with the handicap of her lack of political experience.

However, it was precisely her candidacy for chancellor that led to the first political crisis of her life.

You really can't say that about Scholz or Laschet.

Nobody knows who will move into the Federal Chancellery after September 26th.

The viewers do not know the three candidates now, but in this report they got to know them a little.

It could help them make a choice.

They want in there.

The fight for the Chancellery, Sunday, 9.45 p.m., in the first.