(CNN) Could the success of a far right party in Germany's local elections be a harbinger of things to come? Merkel cannot simply dismiss the AFD no matter what her national strength, Heath said. "The elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern show that the citizens are no longer intimidated by the lip service of the old parties," AFD party leader Frauke Petry tweeted Sunday. Those are the lowest results ever seen for Merkel's party in the Eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and her party came in behind a party established in 2013. The AFD, however, has been able to broaden its reach to Germans who may have been offended by the PEGIDA rallies.

Source: CNN September 05, 2016 01:52 UTC