Germany, Cdu/Csu migrant law rejected: divisions among conservatives

The Bundestag rejects the proposal of the conservative bloc, supported by the AfD. Political clash ahead of 23 February elections

The Bundestag has rejected the migration bill presented by the conservative Cdu/Csu bloc and supported by the far-right AfD. The vote today, 31 January, saw 350 MPs against and 338 in favour, with five abstentions out of a total of 693 present.

Political tension and internal accusations

The result has triggered strong reactions in the German political landscape, with the far-right harshly attacking the leader of the Cdu, Friedrich Merz. The AfD’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, described the outcome of the vote as the ‘dismantling’ of Merz’s leadership, accusing him of having ‘gone off like a tiger and ended up as a doormat’. According to Weidel, the rejection of the bill is evidence of an ‘implosion of the conservative party’, which would show how Merz ‘cannot be chancellor’.

The proposal, which envisaged a five-point plan to control immigration, met with resistance even within the conservative parliamentary group itself: 12 Cdu/Csu MPs voted against it. The party leader admitted the defections but defended the decision to table the measure: ‘I am very happy that at least we tried,’ Merz said, attacking the Greens and the SPD for failing what he considers a ‘necessary breakthrough’ in asylum management.

Angela Merkel’s role and the Greens’ accusations

Angela Merkel played a significant role in the internal rift within the conservatives, harshly criticising the choice of the Cdu to rely on AfD votes to pass the measure. A theme also echoed by the Greens, who welcomed the rejection of the law with relief.

‘The proposal has been rejected, but in the last few days we have seen large cracks in the democratic centre,’ said Britta Hasselmann, leader of the Greens’ group in the Bundestag, referring to the readiness of the Cdu to collaborate with the extreme right. Her colleague Katharina Droge accused the conservatives of having ‘blackmailed the other parties with the motto: accept, otherwise we will vote with the Nazis’.

The affair has opened a deep political crisis, which risks having strong repercussions in view of the regional elections on 23 February, a key appointment to test the real balance of power between the parties in Germany.

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