German election frontrunner Friedrich Merz succeeded on Wednesday in getting a motion passed in parliament that calls for a migration crackdown including the rejection of asylum seekers at the country's land borders.
It is not yet clear who voted for the motion but Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and the Greens had previously opposed it. As such it is likely it passed with the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany amid other smaller parties.
The motion is a risky gambit for Merz, chief of the opposition conservative CDU/CSU bloc, ahead of the election on Feb 23, allowing him to seize the initiative on migration policy but also leading to him breaking a taboo on cooperation with the far-right.
