The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) hailed her party’s “crazy success” after it doubled its result compared with the last federal election in 2021. Sitting alongside her co-leader Tino Chrupalla,

The success of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is a sign of the times. Across Europe, far-right parties once on the fringe have gone mainstream.

Polls are open across Germany as the world’s third largest economy chooses a new leader to guide it through an era of febrile immigration debates and souring relations with Washington.