BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger, Martin Schulz are still fighting hard for every vote as Sunday’s national election nears, but they do have one thing common: neither is a gambler. Merkel, asked by the mass circulation newspaper Bild what she would do if she won millions of euros in the Lotto lottery, said, “I personally don’t play Lotto.” The conservative leader, a trained physicist and daughter of a pastor who grew up in the former Communist east, Merkel told the paper she donated any money that she won in awards and prizes to charitable groups. Schulz, the former European Parliament president who never went to college, said he also didn’t gamble. “I’ve never played Lotto in my life,” he told Bild. “I never wanted to leave the question of my success in life up to chance or a lottery drum.” The two politicians also share similar views on prayer. Merkel, asked if she prayed to win the election, said she didn’t pray for such concrete political results, adding: “Prayers are a very personal matter.” Schulz, whose party is trailing Merkel’s conservatives by double digits, echoed that view. “Politicians always have to know that there’s something greater than their own success.” Published in Daily Times, September 24th 2017.