BERLIN — With Germany’s election less than a month away, center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz has thrown cold water on the prospect of reviving the country’s traditional grand coalition — bluntly declaring that he “can’t trust” conservative leader Friedrich Merz anymore.

Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, relied on votes from the far-right AfD to push an anti-migration motion through 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

Germany’s parliament has narrowly approved a call by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s main challenger to turn back many more migrants at the country’s borders, with the help of a far-right party.

Two German parties, the AfD and CDU, find common ground on asylum seeker crisis. Does this signal a possible coalition government of the two?

Opening the door to leaning on support from the far-right is a gamble for Merz, who believes that his increasingly radical stance on migration will win back right-wingers who are tempted to vote for the AfD. But in so doing, he could risk losing support from the centre.

Shugaban gwamnatin Jamus kuma dan takarar jam'iyyar SPD a zaben gabanin wa'adi, ya caccaki abokin hamyyarsa na CDU mai adawa Friedrich Merz, kan manufofinsa na kulla kawance da jam'iyyar masu kyamar baki ta AfD.

Germany's ex-chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in Thursday on a controversy flaring ahead of February elections, slamming her party successor for relying on far-right support on the flashpoint issue

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly criticized her successor Friedrich Merz for collaborating with the far-right party AfD to pass new migration policies. Despite Merkel's disapproval, Merz aims to present his conservative party as decisive on immigration,

Social Democrat Scholz warns that Merz's proposal for permanent border controls would violate EU law, damage the economy, and threaten stability - Anadolu Ajansı

Friedrich Merz, Germany's opposition leader, proposes stringent migration policies, creating pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's administration ahead of the February election. Merz aims to control borders and reject illegal entries,