Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has issued rare public criticism of her successor as the country’s center-right leader, the front-runner in Germany’s election next month, for putting to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that only passed with the help of a far-right party.

The right to asylum must be preserved, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday, as lawmakers prepared to vote on controversial motions seeking to reform the country's migration policy. In a major speech to the German parliament,

Germany’s parliament has narrowly approved a call by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s main challenger to turn back many more migrants at the country’s borders, with the help of a far-right party.