One in five voters in the German election favored the far right. The AfD leader’s dramatic rise terrifies many of the others.

As an openly gay politician who lives with her Sri Lanka-born partner in Switzerland, Alice Weidel was an unusual choice to many to lead Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) into Sunday's elections, where it scored its best-ever result.

As Germany heads to the polls, here is all you need to know about Alice Weidel, who is AfD's first-ever candidate for the post of Chancellor.

In a relationship with a woman of foreign origin, the AfD leader nonetheless assumes an anti-immigration rhetoric and unabashedly makes references to the Third Reich. This position has earned her the endorsement of Elon Musk and US Vice President JD Vance,

The tweet from Elon Musk arrived a few days before Christmas, and it felt like a gift from heaven to Germany’s far-right political party, Alternative for Germany (AfD). It consisted of six words: “Only the AfD can save Germany.

Alice Weidel, has vowed to "chase" the country's other parties if her party goes into opposition. The CDU/CSU centre-right bloc is leading according to initial projects, and its leader Friedrich Merz has repeatedly ruled out a coalition with the AfD.