Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, January 27, 2025. [Photo/Agencies]
The leader of Germany's main opposition party has caused upset by saying he will bring proposals for an instant change to the country's immigration laws before parliament this week, days after an Afghan asylum seeker was arrested following a fatal double stabbing in the southern city of Aschaffenburg.
Friedrich Merz is the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, and its candidate for the post of the country's chancellor, which will be decided in a federal election on Feb 23.
A man reportedly being treated for psychiatric illness, and who was scheduled for deportation, is being held over the killings, which have raised the topics of immigration and national security to even higher levels as electoral issues.
Merz, whose party is topping opinion polls in the run-up to voting, wants to bring in tougher migration laws as soon as possible.
He has appealed to the Social Democrats and Greens, the two surviving members of the collapsed coalition government of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to back him, saying he hopes they will "come to their senses … I'm not on the lookout for other majorities in the German parliament".
But there is concern that the potential rapid progress of any legislation may call upon the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, which would break the so-called firewall of non-cooperation with the AfD observed by Germany's mainstream parties.
Merz has countered by calling the AfD "not our partner, but our political opponent", and the AfD itself described his plans as "absurd".
There are even reports the party may put forward counter-proposals of its own, to embarrass mainstream conservatives into voting against their own measures, to avoid working with the AfD.
Merz represents the same party as former chancellor Angela Merkel, who for many years encouraged immigration.
In a speech in 2015, Merkel famously said "we can do this" about the country welcoming outsiders.
But in a campaign rally in the northern German city of Flensburg earlier this month, Merz pointedly said "we can't do this", adding that the country could not take in and provide for millions of asylum seekers "no matter how hard we try".
"I promise you this," he added. "Under my leadership, the numbers will drastically go down, because we are serious about limiting illegal migration to Germany."
After meeting CDU leaders on Monday, Merz said: "It is now really time to make decisions. There are 40,000 asylum applicants who need to be deported. A local politician told me this weekend that there are ticking time-bombs walking around our towns and communities."
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