German parliament rejects opposition’s draft migration law

German parliament rejects opposition’s draft migration law


German Chancellor Olaf Scholz giving a government declaration on domestic issues at the Bundestag on January 29, 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

Sean Gallup | Getty Images

The German parliament rejected an opposition draft law on tightening immigration policy on Friday, two days after the opposition conservatives were accused of breaching an agreement against cooperating with the far right for the first time.

Opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose conservatives are leading in the polls before a Feb. 23 snap election, said the new law was a necessary response to a series of high-profile killings in public spaces by people of immigrant background.

His similar, non-binding motion was passed by parliament on Wednesday thanks to backing from legislators from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), prompting a wave of protest from the public, politicians and even some of his own party at a supposed breach of an agreement not to work with the far right.

A DeutschlandTrend poll for public television found that 67% of voters backed permanent border controls, including over half the supporters of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats.



Source

France is plunged further into political crisis. Here’s what could happen next
World

France is plunged further into political crisis. Here’s what could happen next

France’s President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks to the press at the end of the 7th European Political Community (EPC) Summit at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 2, 2025. Ludovic Marin | Afp | Getty Images French President Emmanuel Macron is confronting another massive political headache following the shock resignation of […]

Read More
Déjà vu in France as political chaos returns. But this time, it’s different
World

Déjà vu in France as political chaos returns. But this time, it’s different

The National Assembly building in Paris, France, on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned Monday morning, just a day after President Emmanuel Macron named a new cabinet that was broadly criticized. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images As news of French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s resignation broke on Monday […]

Read More
Japan’s Takaichi picks ex-premier Aso as party vice president
World

Japan’s Takaichi picks ex-premier Aso as party vice president

Taro Aso, Japan’s former deputy prime minister and finance minister, delivered a speech during an ordinary session at the lower house of the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2020. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sanae Takaichi, who is expected to become Japan’s next prime minister, chose former premier and party heavyweight Taro Aso on Tuesday […]

Read More