Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to be Germany's next chancellor, said today he was ready to lead Germany forward as his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) gathered in Berlin for a party conference three weeks before national elections, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"We are ready to lead Germany forward again," Merz said at a party congress of his conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin three weeks before national elections. He promised to "get to work immediately and tackle the root causes of the problems that have paralyzed [Germany] for so long."
Although Merz's opposition CDU/CSU alliance is leading in the polls for the February 23 vote by around 30 percent, he has since sparked intense debate after using far-right votes to push through a motion in parliament last week calling for stricter rules on migration.
Opinion polls are due to be published after Merz broke this long-standing taboo in German politics, the DPA reported.
Merz, 69, received a standing ovation from delegates at the conference in Berlin, who unanimously agreed on an "immediate action program" to be implemented in the event of a conservative victory, including controversial measures to reform the migration laws and boosting Germany's struggling economy.
Critics accuse Merz of breaching a long-standing "firewall" that has prevented cooperation with the AfD after his non-binding plan to tackle illegal migration won a narrow majority on Wednesday thanks to the support of the far-right party.
Another migration bill, introduced by the conservatives, narrowly missed a majority in parliament on Friday after a handful of CDU lawmakers abstained.
Protests against Merz's actions have erupted across Germany, with organizers of a large march in Berlin on Sunday estimated to have drawn up to 250,000 people.