(Reuters) Germany’s government and opposition parties duelled on Monday over rival border control policies, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz, favourite to become next chancellor, saying he would advance his plan with the help of the far right if needed.
Merz called for tighter border controls and more police powers, a signal he is putting migration at the heart of his election campaign in a bid to counter the far right, whose anti-immigrant theme has been magnified by a fatal stabbing for which a failed asylum seeker has been arrested.
The stabbing is the latest in a string of violent attacks in Germany that have boosted public concerns over security and fuelled support for the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The suspect had been undergoing psychiatric treatment.
