Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Friedrich Merz, her successor as leader of the country’s conservatives, on Thursday for pushing through a bill on tighter immigration control with the help of the far right.

The former chancellor has slammed her conservative CDU party for passing a migration motion with help of the far-right AfD. Merkel blamed party leader Friedrich Merz for going back on a pledge not to work with the AfD.

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed into Germany’s contentious election campaign, sharply criticizing fellow Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz over his decision to force through a hard-line immigration resolution in parliament with votes from the far right.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday criticized her centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) for passing a motion in parliament for hard-line reforms to migration policy with votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Politicians from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) criticized former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her comments on the migration policy of the CDU's chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz. Party colleagues believe Merkel should simply "stay silent.