Wild verbal battles in the Bundestag, loud demonstrations on the streets, talk of betrayal and of taboos being broken: it has been an extraordinary few days in German politics.

On Friday, parliament narrowly rejected a bill to significantly tighten asylum laws with supporting votes from conservative Christian Democrats and Christian Socialists (CDU/CSU), the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).

CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz managed to push through a nonbinding motion on asylum policy on Wednesday, relying for the first time on the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany. Merz had insisted that decisions on migration are needed now, regardless of who supports them.

The controversial motion advocates permanent border controls with all neighboring countries and for people to be turned back at the borders, even if they make a request for asylum........

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