Merkel slams successor over far-right support on immigration bill

BERLIN: Germany´s ex-chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in on Thursday on a controversy flaring ahead of February elections after her party successor relied on far-right support on the flashpoint issue of immigration.

Conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz sparked outrage on Wednesday when he pushed through parliament a resolution demanding sweeping curbs to immigration, relying for the first time ever on votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his allies the Greens denounced the vote as a fundamental breach of a taboo in post-war Germany against any cooperation with extremist parties.

News site Der Spiegel judged that “this day will not only change the election campaign but German politics as a whole”.

Critics warned that Merz´s manoeuvre would help legitimise the AfD and pave the way for more cooperation -- perhaps even in a government one day, mirroring developments elsewhere in Europe.

Merz argued that pragmatism must trump principle, and pointed to public fears after a series of deadly attacks blamed on asylum seekers, including a knife attack last week on a kindergarten group where the suspect is an Afghan man.

Even though Merz also opposes the AfD, he said that “a right decision doesn´t become wrong just because the wrong people agree to it”.