BERLIN �� German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that her decisions on eurozone bailouts and keeping the country's borders open for refugees were right, standing firm on her record in her only election debate with Social Democratic opponent Martin Schulz.
Trailing in the race to determine Germany's next chancellor, Schulz went on the attack in the 90-minute nationally televised debate. He criticized Merkel's early response to the refugee crisis in 2015 because she did not enlist other European Union countries from the start in sharing the influx of migrants.
That prompted a testy response from Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term in the Sept. 24 election.
"Doesn't really matter whether he knows better or not," Merkel said of Schulz. "There are moments in the life of a leader or a chancellor where you just have to take decisions."
For Schulz, the debate may have been the last chance to build momentum for the election in Germany, whose strong economy is limiting appetite for change and for the populism that fueled anti-establishment candidates in elections from the U.S. to France.
Schulz said he agreed with the policy of granting asylum to those in need and argued that Germany had to meet its international commitments. Instead, he revived his suggestion that Merkel was trying to smother debate in the campaign. "You can't advance democracy if you're in the sleeper car," he said.
In the opening exchanges, Merkel rejected the moderators' suggestion that her backing for sovereign bailouts to preserve the eurozone and her refusal to close Germany's borders at the height of the refugee crisis two years ago fueled the revival of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party.
"There are situations were we have to follow our fundamental principles and still fight for every vote," Merkel said. "I stand behind these decisions. And still I will make every effort to persuade as many people as possible that this was the right thing to do and that we should continue on this path together."
