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.

An immigration bill from Germany's conservative election frontrunner Friedrich Merz and backed controversially by the far-right AfD has failed to make it through German parliament.