Merz's Migration Stance: A Turning Point for Germany?

Friedrich Merz, Germany's main opposition leader, plans stringent border controls if he becomes chancellor, aiming to tackle immigration issues after a fatal stabbing by an Afghan asylum seeker. His controversial stance, against the EU's free movement, challenges existing migration policies.

Germany's main opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, expressed his intent to enforce immediate and strict border controls should he succeed in becoming chancellor in the upcoming elections. This announcement follows the arrest of an Afghan asylum seeker after a deadly knife attack targeting children.

Merz criticized the decade-long asylum policies of Germany and the European Union's migration rules. He proposed a departure from the Schengen principle of free movement and promised to impose permanent controls along Germany's borders.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, facing declining polls, called the act terrorism and emphasized the urgency for stringent action. Public sentiment is growing increasingly unstable, bolstering support for the far-right party, AfD, presenting a significant political challenge.

(With inputs from agencies.)