Despite the defeat on Friday in the German parliament of his proposed immigration law, conservative leader Friedrich Merz sees himself and his faction in a stronger position. "I also see myself very much strengthened by what we in the faction decided this week,

The Bundestag rejected the CDU/CSU bill on limiting immigration. The media noted that this was a painful defeat for Friedrich Merz, who aimed to gain the support of the conservative electorate before the elections with this bill.

The CDU relied on AfD to pass a motion for the controversial bill, breaking a decades-long tradition of excluding the far-right