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.

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%.

Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, relied on votes from the far-right AfD to push an anti-migration motion through parliament.