The anti-immigration “Alternative for Germany (AFD) Party” has defeated Angela Merkel’s party in her home district in a state election

[Note:  March 5, 2020— The original video explaining the victory of the party has been removed by YouTube, this video is an AP report that aired a few days before the election.]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was defeated in her home district by the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany Party (AFD) which took second place with 21 percent of the vote over Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats’ 19 percent, according to exit polls.

The center-left Social Democrats won with 30.5 percent, but they lost ground from the last election. The AFD had campaigned hard against the chancellor’s open door refugee policy. Polls now show the AFD becoming more popular nationwide, with the federal elections happening next year.