On a wet evening in Suhl, in the former East Germany, a smattering of youthful faces were among hundreds lining up to hear from an unlikely idol - Björn Höcke, one of the most controversial figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Musk has emerged as a fervent supporter of Alternative for Germany, a far-right, anti-immigrant party that is polling in second place ahead of Germany's parliamentary election.

Germany holds its snap national election on Sunday following the collapse of Olaf Scholz's three-way coalition, and the coalition that emerges will face huge challenges, from reviving a flagging economy to forging a foreign policy amid the unpredictability of a new U.

The Alternative for Germany still has pariah status among other major political parties in a country where far-right politics has long carried a stigma because of the Nazi past.

Germany's Ruhr area used to be a Social Democrat stronghold, but the populist AfD has risen to popularity amid the region's economic decline. In one city — Gelsenkirchen — individuals are resisting the trend.

Polls show support for far-right AfD surging ahead of elections in Germany Germany is preparing for national elections on Feb 23. Polls show the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party, on course for its highest-ever vote share.

When it comes to courting controversy, there are few political rivals to Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). A former spokesman identified himself as a “fascist” in 2020, and later the same year talked nonchalantly about how refugees could be “shot or gassed” as he discussed how more migrants coming in would translate into polling gains for the AfD (“the worse it goes for Germany,