Sidelined by rivals, Germany’s far-right AfD bides time

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Immigration is a side issue in this year’s German election campaign, but that hasn’t stopped the country’s biggest far-right party from trying to play it up. The party rattled Germany’s political establishment four years ago, when it came third in parliamentary elections after stoking anti-migrant sentiment over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2015 decision to allow hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty into the country. Current polls indicate that the party could struggle to hold the 12.6% share it got in the last election. But experts say even a low two-digit result could well pose a headache for other parties. That would force them to form larger and more cumbersome coalitions to secure a majority.