Conservative Merz vows to 'lead Germany forward'

Berlin [Germany], February 4: Friedrich Merz, the favourite to become Germany's next chancellor, said on Monday he is ready to "lead Germany forward" as his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) assembled in Berlin for a party conference three weeks before national elections.
"We are ready to lead Germany forward again," said Merz, pledging to "get to work without delay and tackle the root causes of the problems that have paralysed [Germany] for so long." While Merz's opposition CDU/CSU alliance is leading in the polls for the vote on February 23 on around 30%, he has since ignited a firestorm when using far-right votes to push through a motion in parliament last week calling for stricter migration rules.
Polls conducted after Merz broke this long-standing taboo in German politics are yet to be released. The 69-year-old received thunderous applause from delegates at the conference in Berlin, who unanimously agreed on an "immediate action programme" to be implemented should the conservatives win, including controversial measures on reforming migration laws and boosting Germany's struggling economy. Merz's party has received huge criticism in recent days after passing a motion in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, with votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Critics accuse Merz of breaking the long-standing "firewall" preventing cooperation with the AfD, after his non-binding plan to tackle illegal migration secured a narrow majority on Wednesday thanks to the far-right party's support.Protests against Merz's move have broken out across Germany, with organizers claiming up to 250,000 in attendance at a major march in Berlin on Sunday. Further demonstrations took place on Monday outside the CDU's conference centre.
Source: Qatar Tribune