Germany has blocked a bill calling for tougher rules on migration after a close vote in the country’s parliament.
The legislation was put forward by the country’s opposition leader, Freidrich Merz, who has called for Germany to tighten migration controls after a series of high-profile killings by people with immigrant backgrounds.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his party, the Social Democrats, and the Greens – partners in his minority government – would vote against the proposal.
But the bill had the support of both Germany’s conservatives and the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
If the bill had made it through, it would have marked the first time in Germany’s post-war history that its parliament had passed legalisation thanks to far-right support.
The bill called for Germany to turn back many more migrants at its borders and would have given police increased powers to carry out deportations.
Today’s decision comes after a non-binding motion on the matter passed thanks to the AfD on Wednesday.
Centre-left parties have accused opposition leader Mr Merz of breaking a political consensus to shun the AfD, which first entered parliament in 2017.
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Germany is due to hold a general election on 23 February, and the Christian Democratic Union, comprising the CDU and CSU, is polling at about 30%.
The AfD is second on around 20%, while the Social Democrats and Greens are on about 16% and 14% respectively.
Mr Scholz has suggested that Mr Merz can no longer be trusted not to form a government with the AfD – something Mr Merz has strongly denied.
Germany is in a third consecutive year of recession.
Europe’s largest economy shrank by 0.2% during 2024 – on top of a 0.3% contraction in 2023.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk recently made a surprise appearance at a far-right campaign event in Germany where he urged supporters to move beyond their “past guilt”.