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.

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.

Tino Chrupalla, voted in the country's election on Sunday morning and expressed confidence that his anti-immigration party will achieve its best result at national level yet. His fellow co-leader Alice Weidel,