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News Analysis
Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democrats broke a political taboo when running with the election of the right so that Germany tightens the immigration regulations. He paid.
By Christopher F. Schuetze and Jim Tankersley
Reporting from Berlin
The guy who was strongly favored to become Gerguyy’s next chancellor has made an ordinary commitment this week, either for his political career and for the firewall of his country opposed to political extremism.
He took up position as expected.
In an effort to portray himself and his party as tough on immigration, Friedrich Merz, the leader of the poll-leading Christian Democrats, pushed a series of measures tightening borders and accelerating deportations through Parliament this week. He did so with help from the hard-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD — parts of which have been classified as extremist by German intelligence agencies.
On Friday, the gambit ended in a crushing legislative defeat for Mr. Merz, dissent in his own party and jubilant claims of new legitimacy from the AfD, a chain reaction that could rattle Mr. Merz’s comfortable seat at the top of the polls.
Merz’s willingness to count on the AFD broke a taboo in German politics that had ended since the end of World War II.
That left Merz facing a fierce complaint of political opponents, devout leaders, Holocaust survivors and former Foreign Minister Angela Merkel, who is still a member of Merz’s party.
Despite criticism and several possibilities to step back, Mr. Merz to bring an invoice that strengthens migration regulations to the field of the camera parquet on Friday. He failed.
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