Far-Right AfD Party Re-Elects Leaders Amid Protests

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been gaining momentum in the country's eastern regions, particularly in the formerly communist east, where it received 15.9% of the vote in the European Parliament election on June 9. This strong performance has boosted its hopes of emerging as the strongest party in three state elections scheduled to take place in September. However, the AfD's rise to prominence has been met with large-scale protests and counter-demonstrations from left-wing groups, with up to 100,000 protesters expected to participate. According to police reports, masked demonstrators attacked officers during a protest, resulting in several arrests. Despite this, the AfD co-leaders have continued to attack Germany's ruling coalition during their party convention in Essen, which is expected to be a weekend of unrest.