Merz on the election campaign tour: Sharper migration rules cause excitement!

Merz on the election campaign tour: Sharper migration rules cause excitement!

Friedrich Merz, the Union Chancellor candidate, began his campaign tour on February 1, 2025 in his home in the Hochsauerland district. In doing so, he received a lot of encouragement for his move to stricter migration rules. This happened just a few days after an intensive debate in the Bundestag, where he recorded a short approval on Wednesday and on Friday a narrow defeat in his applications. The right -wing populist AfD supported the Union's proposals, which triggered a debate about the "fire wall" of the Union for the AfD, especially three weeks before the Bundestag election. Despite the mixed feedback on the event in Bestwig, where some described the course as suboptimal, Merz explained that it was urgently necessary to obtain clear positions in the migration question.

Merz, who also appears as an opposition leader and CDU chairman, agrees with the CDU/CSU MP for an intensive election campaign. The reason for this is the upcoming vote on a draft law for sharper migration rules in which the votes of the AfD could become decisive. Merz emphasizes that the Union has to endure the "storm" and rejects cooperation with the AfD after the Bundestag election. He emphasizes that the citizens will carefully observe the resistance of the Union.

the migration policy in focus

The discussions within the CDU and CSU about migration have intensified in the past few weeks, especially after the attack in Aschaffenburg. Merz argues that the Union must introduce permanent border controls and rejections on the border for people without valid entry documents. However, these plans encounter strong resistance from the SPD and the Greens, which they reject as unacceptable. In particular, CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt recognized the possibility of a majority in the Bundestag with votes from FDP, BSW and the AfD and expressed that he did not care as long as the voting is made for the draft law.

In the CDU, however, there is discomfort internally about working with the AfD, which means that Merz as the sole decision -maker is perceived in this controversial strategy. This is considered risky by some, since the CDU has been associated with the refugee policy of the then Chancellor Merkel since 2015. Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther has even announced that a law that was decided with AfD votes in the Federal Council. In this context, Merz also reported vandalism and smearings at the CDU district branches, which indicates the heated political mood.

Despite the challenges, Merz shows that he feels support for the attitude of the Christian Democrats in voter encounters. In Bestwig in particular, he was rewarded by the MPs with long applause when he underlined the importance of a clear attitude in the run -up to the Bundestag election. "We have to act decisively," says Merz, who also wants to bring economic policy into the election campaign, since many citizens put hope in the CDU.