The far right has made significant gains in local elections in Germany. The anti- immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), an anti-immigrant party, came in third in the state of Hesse in municipal elections. 

It’s likely the party will gain even more votes in upcoming polls this weekend. 

That vote takes place as Germany’s top constitutional court considers a case that would decide whether the ‘neo-Nazi’ NPD party should be barred from politics. The party has been accused of advocating racist and xenophobic policies. 

We take a look at what is happening in German politics with Kai Arzheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Mainz. His research focuses on political extremism.