After taking third place in the German federal elections, Alternative for Germany (Alternativ fur Deutschland, or AfD) will be the first far-right party in the Bundestag - Germany's parliament - since the late 1950s. Who are they?
When was it formed?
The party formed in 2013 in response to dissatisfaction with the European Union's bailout of indebted EU member states. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow more than a million refugees in 2015 saw the AfD refocus on the issue of immigration. They are not the same as anti-Islam, anti-immigrant organisation Pegida.
What does the AfD want?
It wants to close the EU's borders, set up identity checks along Germany's frontiers, fight what it sees as too much Islamic influence in Germany, and support traditional Christian values and identity. Before the recent surge of Middle Eastern refugees, Germany has been home to a sizeable Turkish population for decades.
Who are its leaders?
Frauke Petry, the Party chairwoman, a businesswoman from Dresden, is considered the moderate face of the party, while Alexander Gauland, federal spokesman is considered more of a far-right figure. After the election, he said: "We will hunt them. we will hunt Mrs. Merkel or whomever. And we will take back our country and our people."
Why are people worried about the AfD?
Given the history of Nazism in Germany, far-right parties with political power typically raise concerns. The AfD garnered more than 13 per cent of the national vote, which will give it some influence within the Bundestag, even if it is excluded from a governing coalition, by Merkel's Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party. The AfD is not expected to drive legislation. However, achieving national recognition is an achievement in its own right.
What else is worrying?
Not only has the AfD fared better than expected, but Merkel's party had a weaker showing, which suggests the same realignment visible in democratic politics in the US, France and the UK could be at work in Germany. West Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and most of Germany afterwards has enjoyed remarkable political consensus, underpinned by a strong economy. An effort to radically shift German's in any way along racial or cultural lines takes the country in a direction that invariably requires a re-evaluation of Germany's 20th Century history - an issue generally not up for debate.
How different is AfD
One key area of difference is hostility toward the media. German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that journalists are routinely excluded from AfD events. Also, about one-third of tweets surveyed on September 10 supported AfD, the Project on Computational Propaganda reported.
