It was a night of celebration for the AFD party following its historic surge in Germany’s federal election. <br /><br />Established only four years ago, its success sent shock waves across the country, marking a major change in the political landscape. <br /><br />The first openly nationalist party to enter parliament in nearly six decades, rights activists fear the worse. <br /><br />Matthias Quent, the head of the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena said: “The AfD is a great challenge to democracy particularly Germany, given the German history. We see that the AfD has unleashed not only a protest, an anti-elite-populism, but also a populist racist ideology, which in part makes a positive reference to National Socialism. It has also achieved this success at a time when Germany is, objectively speaking, doing well.” <br /><br />Other political parties in the country have refused to get into bed with the Afd, due to its links with Neo-Nazi groups. <br /><br />Quent added: “Several of the new AFD members entering the Bundestag are right-wing extremists. They plan to misuse this position. I expect that they will try to include far right social movements and extremists groups in order to bring about a cultural political shift to the right of society.”<br /><br />Despite losing many voters to the far-right party Angela Merkel has insisted she will not lurch to the right. <br /><br />But the Afd has said it will hound the chancellor following its strong showing. <br /><br />It has called for a different policy vowing to fight “an invasion of foreigners”. <br /><br />Language which has raised the spectre of Germany’s past.<br />
