‘A test case for German democracy’: populists ride high before state elections

Political landscape faces upheaval as far-right AfD and left-conservative BSW expected to perform strongly

The far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party has plastered the city centre of Erfurt with eye-catching posters of a jet soaring through a clear blue sky, conjuring up many Germans' dream of a tropical holiday. Only the tagline reveals a darker message: Summer, Sun, Remigration".

As it campaigns for votes in its east German heartland, the AfD has long since embraced the slogan that last winter sent hundreds of thousands of Germans on to the streets in protest against revelations of a rightwing master plan" to deport unwanted foreigners and citizens alike.