Germany, Merz

Germany’s Merz breaks far-right taboo, prompts backlash from Merkel
Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, relied on votes from the far-right AfD to push an anti-migration motion through parliament.
Merkel criticizes German front-runner Merz over migration vote with far-right support
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has issued rare public criticism of her successor as the country’s center-right leader, the front-runner in Germany’s election next month, for putting to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that only passed with the help of a far-right party.
German election frontrunner risks breaking taboo on working with far-right
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.
Merkel criticises her party leader after far-right vote
The former chancellor's comments come after the CDU put forward a proposal which was supported by the far-right AfD.
Merkel Criticises Leader of Her CDU Party for Cooperating With German Far-Right
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the leader of her Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Merz, for drawing on support from the far-right to pass a motion in parliament, in a statement on Thursday.
Germany's Merkel blasts conservatives over cooperation with far right
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday criticized her centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) for passing a motion in parliament for hard-line reforms to migration policy with votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Alert: Ex-Chancellor Merkel criticizes German center-right leader Merz over migration proposal that passed with far-right votes
Ex-Chancellor Merkel criticizes German center-right leader Merz over migration proposal that passed with far-right votes. Got a question? Put a reporter on it. Ever think of a question that you wish someone would answer?
German Conservative Hard-Line Migration Shift Is Calculated Ploy
Friedrich Merz’s hard-line shift on migration is a calculated gambit by the German conservative leader to neutralize the far ...
Is Elon Musk Winning the German Immigration Debate?
Conservatives have cooperated with the far-right AfD for the first time, amid growing support from the tech billionaire.
German parliament backs election front-runner’s call for tough border rules with far-right support
Germany’s parliament has narrowly approved a call by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s main challenger to turn back many more migrants ...
Politico Europe1d
Germany’s Merz sparks firestorm by breaking postwar taboo
Germany’s likely next chancellor wants tougher migration measures even with AfD support, triggering a fierce pre-election ...
The Economist19h
A day of drama in the Bundestag
R ARELY HAS the Bundestag known such drama. On January 29th, to scenes of uproar in Germany’s parliament, a tiny majority of ...
Courthouse News Service1d
Germany’s far-right ‘firewall’ under strain as migration debate flares
Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become chancellor in February's election, is making waves by agreeing to work with the far ...
Politico Europe8h
Scholz blasts Merz, raising doubts over post-election German coalition
BERLIN — With Germany’s election less than a month away, center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz has thrown cold water on the prospect of reviving the country’s traditional grand coalition — bluntly ...
German conservatives dip in survey as taboo break on far-right cooperation looms
Support for Germany's conservative bloc fell by three points in the days after its chancellor candidate said he would push ...
Far-right vote on asylum rocks German parliament
Opening the door to leaning on support from the far-right is a gamble for Merz, who believes that his increasingly radical ...