Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accused his main rival in Germany’s upcoming election of “constant about turns,” while Friedrich Merz, the opposition leader and front-runner, accused Scholz of leaving behind an economic “disaster.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insists he would' never' cooperate with the far right in the way he says his rival Friedrich Merz has done. DW has more.Two weeks out from the federal election, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and main opposition leader Friedrich Merz have traded blows in parliament.

Merz, leader of the Christian Democrats, had sought to restrict immigration rules with the support of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The bill fell short of 12 votes on Friday. Twelve MPs from Merz’s parliamentary group were absent.

There were fiery scenes in Germany's Bundestag on Tuesday as lawmakers faced off in the final parliamentary session before the country heads to the polls in just 12 days' time. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his conservative rival Friedrich Merz again traded blows,

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz used his likely final statement in parliament before the election to intensify his attacks on Friedrich Merz, accusing the conservative frontrunner of dividing Europe for political gain and saying his “fickleness and bluster” make him unsuitable to run the country.