The sweat was dripping off Friedrich Merz after the frontrunner to become Germany’s next chancellor saw his bid to outflank an ascendant far right spectacularly backfire in the Bundestag.

Germany's parliament narrowly rejected a bill proposing stricter migration rules, sparking controversy over opposition leader Friedrich Merz's approach and his party's stance toward the far-right. The rejection amplifies divisions among major parties ahead of Germany's elections,

The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has slammed her conservative rival Friedrich Merz after a controversial bill on migration reform failed in parliament on Friday. Alice Weidel said the rejection of the vote,