Opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused of breaking longstanding political firewall against far-right populists
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has accused the man expected to succeed him after next month’s election, Friedrich Merz, of “an unforgivable mistake” after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party backed Merz’s controversial plans to restrict migration.
Scholz’s minority government accused Merz of breaking a longstanding political firewall against the far-right populists. He had presented two non-binding motions to parliament, aimed at boosting security measures and closing all of Germany’s land borders to irregular migration.
