The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is riding high in the opinion polls in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt and could win an outright majority in regional elections there in September.
It would be the first time a far-right party has held power in a German state since the Second World War.
This weekend the AfD officially adopted what has been described as a radical and pro-ethnic German government programme for Saxony-Anhalt, at a party conference in Magdeburg.
The AfD's leading candidate in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, a TikTok star who was given a standing ovation by the delegates, said it was a historic moment, not just for Saxony-Anhalt.
The whole of Germany is watching this historic election. Parts of Europe are watching this historic election. Parts of the world are watching this historic election, because from here, finally, the political turnaround can also happen here in Germany, he told the conference.
He said his party had the courage to speak out about what was going wrong in Germany, that we don't feel safe anymore, that we scarcely feel at home anymore, that we don't recognise our homeland anymore.
Let's take back our country, he said.
The programme, which is over 150 pages long, contains wide-ranging plans to overhaul Saxony-Anhalt, clamping down on immigrants and supporting large families of German origin. It also wants to improve relations with Russia, directly contradicting the policies of the federal coalition government, which is a key supporter of Ukraine.
We say yes to consistent deportations, we say yes to free childcare facilities, we say yes to remigration, Ulrich Siegmund said.
Some of the proposals appear to be unworkable at a state level, requiring action by the federal government, but many others are feasible.
Critics, including Eva von Angern, leader of the left-wing Linke Party parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt, have described the AfD's plans as a nightmare scenario for Saxony-Anhalt and for our democracy. She claimed the AfD promotes an authoritarian state that would severely curtail fundamental rights.
Saxony-Anhalt has been classified as a stronghold for the AfD, which has made gains across the nation. The party secured a record 152 seats in the 630-seat parliament during last years' federal elections.
Currently, the AfD faces scrutiny, having been classified as far-right extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony-Anhalt and facing a national classification by Germany's domestic intelligence service.
Their manifesto outlines a comprehensive U-turn on migration policy, with calls for the deportation of refugees who are identified as anti-native and restrictions on recognizing Ukrainian refugees.
Central to their agenda is the provision of tax breaks for large families of ethnically German people. As Saxony-Anhalt has one of the oldest populations in Germany, the AfD argues its policies are necessary to combat declining birth rates.
However, their approach has raised alarm about its implications, with several hundred protesters demonstrating against the party's ideology outside the conference venue.
