Even though the Alternative for Germany is highly unlikely to take a share of power soon, it has become a factor that other politicians can't ignore

Germany's far-right party, Alternative for Germany, has seen gains in popularity in recent years — Jan Techau, a director on Eurasia Group's Europe team, discusses.

Alternative for Germany appears to be heading for its strongest national election result yet this month and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country. The far-right party first entered Germany's national parliament eight years ago on the back of discontent with the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s,