Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Friedrich Merz, her successor as leader of the country’s conservatives, on Thursday for pushing through a bill on tighter immigration control with the help of the far right.

Protesters in Berlin gathered outside CDU headquarters.Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Germany on Thursday to protest the conservative Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union parties.

Responding to the killing of a child, the poll-leading Christian Democrats are pushing to overhaul migration laws — possibly with votes from the Alternative for Germany.

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.

Without the migration policies since 2015, the AfD wouldn’t be anywhere near this strong,” says Vienna’s former conservative chancellor.

Friedrich Merz, likely the next chancellor, shocks the country by promising to control its borders.

For the first time in the 75-year post-war history of the German parliament, one of the major parliamentary groups has made common cause with fascists to help an authoritarian and racist motion achieve a breakthrough.

Friedrich Merz, the country's favourite to become next chancellor, will bring his proposals to parliament even if it means collecting support from the AfD. View on euronews

Friedrich Merz, the conservative frontrunner to replace Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Germany's upcoming elections, is calling on the European Union to present a united front in response to US President-elect Donald Trump.

When the CDU motions passed on Wednesday evening, by four votes, an eerie silence hung for a moment over the Bundestag chamber. Then AfD parliamentarians began applauding what they see as the first chink of light in the CDU’s so-called “firewall” against political co-operation with them.

Germany’s likely next chancellor wants tougher migration measures even with AfD support, triggering a fierce pre-election debate.