German opposition leader Friedrich Merz said he would seek to pass a disputed migration measure in parliament next week with any party willing to back it, a move critics say could break the firewall with the far right weeks before a federal election.

Germany’s conservative candidate, Friedrich Merz, suggested he’d push through tougher migration measures even with AfD support.

German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, tipped to become the next chancellor, said on Thursday he wanted to win back the lost trust of key allies and ensure Berlin is more assertive on the global stage in a speech laying out his foreign policy plans.

Friedrich Merz, currently leading in polls to become German chancellor, said Thursday if elected he will impose strict border controls.

Germany’s opposition leader has vowed to bar people from entering the country without proper papers and to step up deportations if he is elected as chancellor next month.

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that he met with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz, just weeks before a federal election in Germany.

Latest YouGov poll shows Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc commanding 28% of voter support, leading Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats by 9 percentage points - Anadolu Ajansı

Mr Merz argued the need “to negotiate with the American side from a position of strength”. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Friedrich Merz, the leading candidate for the chancellery in Germany's upcoming election, said a leaked briefing by Germany's ambassador to the United States heavily criticising Donald Trump was damaging to the German government's reputation.

German politicians reacted with shock on Friday after opposition leader Friedrich Merz opened the door to cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on migration reform after an Afghan man was held in connection with a deadly knife attack.

Germany's conservative opposition faced criticism Friday over reports that it was willing to accept the support of the far-right AfD party in a parliamentary vote on toughening migration rules. "The CDU and CSU have accepted my offer to vote together with the AfD in the Bundestag on the fateful issue of migration,