Far-right political party Alternative Germany wins decisive victory in regional election

The far-right political party Alternative Germany scored a decisive victory this weekend in a regional election, putting pressure on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democrats who came to power vowing to weaken the party, known as AfD.

The victory Sunday, in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, is being perceived as possibly paving the way for the first right-wing populist state government since the Nazi era, according to the Associated Press. However, the victory fell just short of a majority.

AfD, classified by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency as an extremist group in some regions of the country, the wire service also reports.

Far-right movements have always come under strong scrutiny in Germany, considering the country's Nazi past.

Modern Germany, unlike most countries in Europe, has yet to have a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government, also according to the Associated Press.