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What is the Alternative for Germany (AfD)?

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The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is a far-right German political party that was founded in 2013. It was established during a period of rising Euroskepticism following the euro-zone debt crisis.

Initially, the AfD protested the euro as the EU’s sole currency and rejected bailing out EU members. By 2015, the party had shifted its priorities to opposing immigration, capitalizing on populist and xenophobic attitudes. Though criticized as racist and Islamophobic, the AfD gained enough votes in the 2017 elections to enter the federal parliament. By 2024, the AfD had begun to rival the CDU-CSU and SPD in opinion polls.