With less than four weeks before Germany’s federal election, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his conservative challenger Friedrich Merz, who is leading polls, will take their contentious battle over how to crack down on illegal migration to parliament.

Chancellor Scholz says rival Merz joining forces with far-right party in parliament to introduce stricter migration legislation ahead of Feb. 23 elections - Anadolu Ajansı

The man tipped to win Germany's election next month is set to propose plans on Wednesday to restrict migration that could pass with the help of votes from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), potentially breaking a taboo on cooperation with the far-right.

The race to lead Germany is diverting through Switzerland, with a campaigning push in Davos set to showcase competing visions for how to revive Europe’s biggest economy.

Germany’s election campaign heats up as CDU leader Friedrich Merz indicates potential cooperation with the far-right AfD to push for stricter immigration policies, challenging the political “firewall” against right-wing populists.

Support for Germany's conservative bloc fell by three points in the days after its chancellor candidate said he would push through a migration crackdown with the backing of the far right, in a survey published four weeks before a federal election.

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Friedrich Merz, whose center-right Union bloc ... The general secretary of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats warned of a potential “political dam breach.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose center-left party trails ... His main election challenger, Friedrich Merz, whose center-right Union bloc leads polls, stepped up his party's vows to toughen migration ...

Tens of thousands of Germans protested in Berlin and other cities against the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.

BERLIN: Opposition leader Friedrich Merz, leading in the race to become Germany's next chancellor, pledged on Monday (Jan 27) to bring a law on restoring border controls before parliament this week even if it needed to be passed with far-right support.

Latest YouGov poll shows Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc commanding 28% of voter support, leading Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats by 9 percentage points - Anadolu Ajansı