Coalition setback: Merz's immigration bill fails in Bundestag
The Bundestag has rejected the CDU/CSU's bill to limit immigration. As the media reported, this represents a significant setback for Friedrich Merz, who sought to appeal to the conservative electorate with this initiative ahead of the elections.
On Friday, the Bundestag voted against the CDU/CSU's proposed immigration limit. This is a notable defeat for Friedrich Merz, the party's candidate for Chancellor of Germany.
350 members from the SPD and the Greens voted against the bill, while 338 MPs from the CDU, CSU, FDP, and AfD supported it. Five parliamentarians abstained from voting.
Controversies surrounding the vote
Shortly before the vote, Katharina Droege of the Greens proposed sending the bill back to a committee, a decision that CDU/CSU and FDP criticized as lacking sincerity. Thorsten Frey from the CDU argued that there was no real intention to address the issues, while Christian Duerr from the FDP suggested that the primary goal was to obstruct any outcome.
Lack of agreement amidst the election campaign
Earlier, at the FDP's initiative, the factions attempted to reach a compromise for over three hours but failed to do so. The bill aimed to restrict family reunification to those under temporary protection and grant additional powers to the federal police to combat illegal immigration.
Merz's push to tighten immigration laws was intended to win over the conservative electorate in the run-up to the elections. The catalyst was an attack involving a knife-wielder from Afghanistan in Aschaffenburg, where a two-year-old child and an intervening man lost their lives. According to its proponents, the bill was designed to enhance security by tightening immigration regulations.
