BERLIN (Reuters) - Friedrich Merz, hitherto favourite to become Germany's next chancellor, suffered a blow three weeks before a national election on Friday when 12 of his own legislators refused to support him in backing a migration bill that thereby failed to pass in parliament.

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.

BERLIN — Germany’s parliament is expected to vote Friday on an opposition bill calling for tougher rules on migration that could become the first legislation to pass thanks to a far-right party — adding to a controversy about the attitude of the front-runner in Germany’s upcoming election toward the far right.

Germany's conservative election frontrunner Friedrich Merz defiantly vowed Friday to pass a bill to restrict immigration with the support of the far-right AfD, repeating a tactic that has sparked an

We’ll be covering today’s vote on a divisive anti-immigration bill in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. Conservative leader Friedrich Merz is taking a hard line and attempting to push through legislation with support from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.

Germany's conservative opposition leader was set Friday to again seek far-right support in parliament on the flashpoint issue of immigration, after his first effort sparked widespread condemnation and street protests.

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.