Has Merz's immigration bet played into hands of the AfD?

On a foggy, frigid morning in Saxony, far-right MP René Bochmann could not believe his party's luck in the final days of the German election campaign, with all eyes on Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

- Deborah Cole and TELTOW

Since conservative frontrunner Friedrich Merz signaled a taboo-breaking openness to AfD support for his hardline course on border policy, voters visiting Bochmann's information stands in small towns such as Schkeuditz have had one issue at the front of their minds: immigration.

Merz attempted to wrest back control of the highly charged migration debate by passing a non-binding resolution on border security in parliament with votes from the far right - violating an unwritten rule of the post-Nazi period. The far-right cheered its newfound acceptability while an uproar ensued among mainstream MPS; 48 hours later, Merz failed to pass a separate immigration-tightening bill in the Bundestag after a rebellion from within his own ranks.

Merz's center-right CDU/CSU alliance is hotly tipped to come first in the 23 February election with about 30% support, while the anti-migrant, anti-Islam AfD has held second place for months in the polls at just over 20%.

Merz's dramatic ploy has failed to lure back AfD voters, polls suggest. But it has shifted the debate from what surveys say is Merz's strongest selling point: the state of the German economy.