Friedrich Merz’s high-stakes gamble to enlist the far right in pressuring the German government to tighten migration laws has upended the campaign three weeks before general elections.

Germany’s parliament has narrowly approved a call by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s main challenger to turn back many more migrants at the country’s borders, with the help of a far-right party.

Germany’s likely next chancellor wants tougher migration measures even with AfD support, triggering a fierce pre-election debate.

Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become chancellor in February's election, is making waves by agreeing to work with the far-right AfD on immigration rules.

R ARELY HAS the Bundestag known such drama. On January 29th, to scenes of uproar in Germany’s parliament, a tiny majority of mps approved a radical five-point plan to curb irreg

Social Democrat Scholz warns that Merz's proposal for permanent border controls would violate EU law, damage the economy, and threaten stability - Anadolu Ajansı

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's CDU/CSU conservative bloc which is leading polls ahead of the Feb. 23 vote, is keen to seize the initiative on migration policy, which has shifted sharply back into focus after an Afghan asylum seeker was arrested over deadly stabbings last week.

Support for Germany's conservative bloc fell by three points in the days after its chancellor candidate said he would push through a migration crackdown with the backing of the far right, in a survey published four weeks before a federal election.

Friedrich Merz, the German election frontrunner, passed a controversial migration motion in parliament, advocating stricter asylum policies. The motion, opposed by Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats and the Greens,

Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become chancellor in February's election, caused an uproar by agreeing to work with the far-right AfD on immigration measures.

Did Friedrich Merz, the likely next chancellor, fall into a trap? Or is he forcing other mainstream parties to confront what many regard as the new reality — a harder, less welcoming Germany?