The leader of Germany's conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to the Christian Democrats (CDU), believes the bloc's recent controversial migration votes have significantly strengthened its position ahead of the election.

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.

The bill fell short of 12 votes on Friday. Twelve MPs from Merz’s parliamentary group were absent. The setback came after Merz passed a majority with AfD for a non-binding motion on migration earlier this week,

Polls show conservative leader Friedrich Merz's Union leading ahead of the Feb. 23 election with around 30% support, while AfD is second with about 20%.

Germany’s conservative bloc requested a 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.

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.