Could Europeans awaken next Monday to another shock bellwether moment? German voters could for the first time since World War II give an outright majority to a far-right party in regional elections. We ask about the AfD's push in Saxony-Anhalt and a charismatic lead candidate whose campaign strives to put charm above the vitriol usually associated with a party with pro-Nazi roots.
Saxony-Anhalt has a familiar tale: that of a former East German state rattled by globalisation with declining industry and an ageing population. Contrast its dying towns and villages with the dynamism of not-so-far-off cities like Berlin and Leipzig.