(Adnkronos) – The story of the five-point bill proposed by German Christian Democratic leader Friedrich Merz on tightening asylum rules in Germany could be nearing a turning point. On Friday, the Bundestag will have to vote on the bill proposed by the Union (CDU/CSU) candidate for chancellor in the next early elections, which provides for illegal migrants to be rejected directly at the German border. Furthermore, in the future, the federal police will be able to independently request pre-deportation detention for foreigners obliged to leave the country, instead of having to go through the federal states as is currently the case.
Merz explained that the goal is to “drastically reduce the still too high numbers of illegal immigration to Germany”, but with 196 seats in the Bundestag, the CDU/CSU cannot count on a majority. Intense talks are therefore said to be taking place behind the scenes and – according to the German media, including Bild and Der Spiegel – the Fdp parliamentary group (90 deputies), and also the AfD (76) would be inclined to vote in favor of the draft, as would ten Bsw deputies, according to the tabloid. In this case, Merz would have a slim majority of five votes. The next step would be the green light from the Bundesrat, which would not take place before February 14. (continued)
Possible support for the AfD has been heavily criticized. SPD general secretary Matthias Miersch spoke of an “unprecedented taboo violation” and Green leader Felix Banaszak accused Merz of accepting a “normalization of the AfD”. At the same time, an Insa poll shows that 66% of the population supports the Merz plan, including 56% of SPD voters, Bild underlines.
Even within the CDU there is resistance. Schleswig-Holstein Premier Daniel Guenther criticized the party’s federal executive, saying there was no need to pass such a law just before the election and announced that he would vote against it in the Bundesrat if the law was passed only thanks to the votes of the AfD. Merz stressed that he wanted to achieve a majority without the votes of the AfD.
