A last-minute twist in the German Bundestag, as a bill on migration regulation was put to a vote. Initially, a majority of the Union, FDP, AfD and BSW seemed to be in favor of the law, with the SPD, Greens and Left opposing it. However, the situation has changed, with the FDP’s Christian Dürr announcing that they would not vote on the bill until February 11 and the SPD’s Rolf Mützenich expressing a willingness to work with the FDP to block the vote.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz has been in crisis talks with the SPD and FDP, but so far, no agreement has been reached. The AfD is confident that the “Asylum crime” in the Bundestag will benefit them, regardless of the outcome.
The debate in the Bundestag has been marked by heated exchanges, with the Greens’ Annalena Baerbock being accused of lying by the CDU’s Torsten Frei. Baerbock responded with a critique of the CDU and the FDP, accusing them of not being willing to make any compromises on migration.
The debate has also seen accusations of sexism and the use of personal attacks, with Baerbock and Frei trading barbs. The FDP’s Wolfgang Kubicki has announced that his party will vote in favor of the bill, while the SPD’s Nancy Faeser has warned against forming majorities with the “extreme right.”
The Bundestag has now voted on the proposal to send the bill back to the committee, which was rejected. The vote on the bill itself is now underway.