Germanyโs far-right Alternative for Germany party has climbed to about 26% in recent opinion polls, surpassing Chancellor Friedrich Merzโs conservative bloc to become the countryโs strongest political force.
The momentum came as Germany prepares for key state elections in 2026 in five regions, sparking concern at home and across Europe over the growing normalization of extremist ideology.
The anti-immigration party has already doubled its support across all five states. Recent surveys put the AfD at as much as 39% in Saxony-Anhalt and 38% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - figures that could enable it to take part in government or block coalition formation in those states.
Despite the surge, experts say the AfD is not moderating toward the political center. Instead, its rhetoric and organizational structures are becoming increasingly radical, according to Professor Matthias Quent, a prominent expert on far-right movements.
He attributed much of the party's rise to the internal struggles of Merz's conservative-left coalition government, which took office in May 2025 but has since failed to maintain voter confidence.
"The German coalition government is caught between conflicts and crises on a
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