How Germany's federal election is causing cracks in the country's firewall against far-right politics

• 5 months ago
• Radio
• Duration 9:50

Over the past few months, support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right political party, has spread beyond the party’s stronghold, normalizing far-right views across the country. On February 23, Germany is set to elect a new government and in a northeast town called Schwerin, the AfD candidate is expected to unseat the incumbent, who serves as a top official on migration and refugee policy. Emily Schultheis, a reporter at POLITICO, says Schwerin is a microcosm of what's happening across the country, as the election turns on migration, not a recession and rising unemployment.