The sweat was dripping off Friedrich Merz after the frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor saw his bid to outflank an ascendant far right spectacularly backfire in the Bundestag.

Germany's parliament narrowly rejected a bill proposing stricter migration rules, sparking controversy over opposition leader Friedrich Merz's approach and his party's stance toward the far-right. The rejection amplifies divisions among major parties ahead of Germany's elections,

Conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats has reaffirmed his principled rejection of cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), despite Wednesday's joint approval of a Bundestag motion on migration policy.