1 day ago · Polls show Merz’s Union leading with around 30% support, while AfD is second with about 20%, and the Social Democrats and Greens are further back.. Center-left parties have accused Merz of breaking a political consensus to shun the 12-year-old AfD, which first entered parliament in 2017 — benefiting from Merkel’s decision two years earlier to allow large numbers of migrants into the country.

19 hours ago · Merz had earlier declared his willingness to push through the draft law to restrict migration even with support from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, a move that weakened Germany’s so-called firewall against the far right and sparked a fierce pre-election debate that struck at the heart of the country’s postwar identity.

1 day ago · »Vergessen Sie’s«, sagte Friedrich Merz einst über eine mögliche Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD. Doch nicht alle Einlassungen zur extrem rechten Partei waren so eindeutig. Die Chronik seiner ...

2 days ago · Merz, determined to show his center-right Union bloc’s commitment to cutting irregular migration after a deadly knife attack last week by a rejected asylum-seeker, put a nonbinding motion to parliament calling for Germany to turn back many more migrants at its borders, although it might need AfD’s backing to pass. The measure squeaked ...

1 day ago · The AfD, which is polling second in most surveys behind Merz’s conservative bloc, is being monitored by German security services on suspicion of right-wing extremism.

3 days ago · Merz’s nonbinding motion calling for tougher migration policies passed by 348 votes to 345, with 10 abstentions, after a combination of opposition parties backed it — including 75 AfD lawmakers. Far-right lawmakers applauded the result, while the parliamentary leader of Scholz’s party, Rolf Mützenich, said Merz’s Union bloc had ...

3 days ago · Verschärfungen in der Asylpolitik AfD kündigt Zustimmung für Merz-Vorhaben an Stand: 28.01.2025 19:09 Uhr Die AfD kündigt an, die von der Union geplanten Anträge zur Migration mitzutragen.

Jan 24, 2025 · Merz, the favorite to become Germany's next chancellor, has repeatedly ruled out cooperating with the AfD, which sits in second place in polls ahead of elections on February 23.

2 days ago · “Merz is trying to contain the AfD by appealing to these voters tempted by the AfD,” Armin Steinbach, professor at HEC Paris, said. But Merz’s move could backfire, analysts say.

4 days ago · The AfD is currently running second in polls before the election, sitting comfortably ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats, though well behind Mr. Merz’s Christian Democrats.