The German parliament narrowly rejected on Friday a bill sponsored by conservatives and the far right calling for stricter rules on immigration. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz said the new law

The Bundestag has narrowly rejected a bill to limit migration and close Germany’s borders. German conservatives caused outrage by relying on the far right to try to push through the bill through parliament.

The bill fell short of 12 votes on Friday. Twelve MPs from Merz’s parliamentary group were absent. The setback came after Merz passed a majority with AfD for a non-binding motion on migration earlier this week,

Germany’s conservative bloc requested a surprise recess in the lower house of parliament on Friday in a sign of the tension over plans to pass a hard-line immigration bill with backing of the far right.

German lawmakers on Friday narrowly rejected a highly controversial bill to tighten migration controls, averting another victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) just weeks ahead of national elections.