Last night, Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition and the man most likely to become the Germany’s next chancellor, came one step closer to ending freedom of movement into the country. In a tense vote in the Bundestag, Merz and his conservative CDU party managed to pass a motion designed force the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to tackle illegal migration head on by just three votes. Controversially, they were only able to win it with the help of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.
Merz’s motion was a political gamble. Designed to drive a wedge between his party and the centre-left SPD and Green parties in particular, Merz’s motion called on the government to reintroduce permanent border controls, block all attempts to enter the country illegally and prioritise the arrest and deportation of those legally required to leave. As had been expected, both the SPD and Green parties refused to endorse the motion, accusing Merz of trying to force changes that would be unconstitutional both in German and EU law.
Had Merz lost the vote, his entire federal election campaign was at risk of collapsing
The AfD, on the other hand, were delighted – and pledged their full support to the vote.
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