Germany's Merz says demonstrators won't sway his migration plan

Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become Germany's next chancellor, said that he remains unfazed by ongoing demonstrations against his party's joint vote with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to push for migration reforms in parliament.

Merz said he takes the protests seriously. His centre-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc however "will not be dissuaded from our course by demonstrators," he told the Funke Media Group in a report published on Thursday.

He added that the majority of Germans support his party's stance.

Germany has been rocked by protests after Merz appeared to break the long-standing "firewall" against cooperation with the far right, passing a non-binding motion to tackle illegal migration in the Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, last week with the support of the AfD.

However, a survey conducted by research institute YouGov for dpa found on Wednesday that 52% of respondents backed Merz's move last week, with 38% disapproving.

When asked if his actions could affect future coalition talks, Merz said he was confident Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens would become more open to his party's migration approach after election day, at the latest.

Merz renewed his promise not to work with the AfD. "The promise is permanent. We will not work with a party that wants to leave NATO, wants to leave the euro and wants to leave the EU."

Germany's election is due to be held on February 23.