What does the AfD’s electoral rise mean for Germany and Europe?

The Alternative for Germany has come within reach of a majority in a regional election, putting the far-right party closer than ever to leading a German state since World War II.

Early results from Sunday’s election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt put the AfD first, with about 44 percent of the vote. The party has gained support amid economic concerns and growing anger over immigration. It is also leading in national polls.

That rise has sharpened a political contradiction. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD branch in Saxony-Anhalt as a proven right-wing extremist group, a label the party rejects. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has insisted that there can be no cooperation with the AfD.

Mainstream German parties have maintained a so-called firewall against coalitions with the far right. It remains unclear whether that strategy can hold as the AfD’s electoral strength grows. The question now reaches beyond regional government, including Germany’s immigration policy and its role in Europe.

Al Jazeera’s Inside Story examined the implications with Olaf Boehnke, Berlin director of the political consultancy Rasmussen Global and a former senior adviser in the German Bundestag; Max Otte, founder of Privatinvestor Capital and a 2022 German presidential candidate; and Ulrich Brueckner, a professor of European studies at Stanford University in Berlin.