The Alternative for Germany still has pariah status among other major political parties in a country where far-right politics has long carried a stigma because of the Nazi past.

On a wet evening in Suhl, in the former East Germany, a smattering of youthful faces were among hundreds lining up to hear from an unlikely idol - Björn Höcke, one of the most controversial figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Every time there is an election in Germany, starkly coloured polling maps make the rounds, tracing the old dividing line between East and West Germany during the Cold War with astonishing precision. The snap election this Sunday is no exception.