[German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, listens to Alice Weidel, co-faction leader of the Alternative for Germany party, during a budget debate at the German parliament Bundestag at the Reichtsag building in Berlin, Wednesday, July 4, 2018.]Markus Schreiber/AP Images * Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made big gains in the eastern states of Brandenburg and Saxony in elections Sunday, while Chancellor Angela Merkel's party and its coalition partner just clung on to diminishing pluralities. * The AfD's surge cements its strength in the former Communist East, where anti-immigrant sentiment, economic inequality, and a historical rift between East and West have thrown German politics into turmoil. * This comes just days after German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that one of the party's leaders, Brandenburg politician Andreas Kalbitz, participated in a neo-Nazi march in Greece in 2007. * Kalbitz dismissed the reports and called critics' claims that the AfD is an extremist party "hysterical." * The AfD rose to political prominence in 2017 on a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment following Merkel's decision to welcome over a million refugees. It has since made xenophobic nationalism its central message. * Notably, the AfD did remarkably well among young voters, winning a plurality of 18 to 30-year-olds in Saxony, and the second-most votes in that age group in Brandenburg. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Germany's far-right populist party made significant gains in elections in two eastern states on Sunday, as Chancellor Angela Merkel's party and her governing partners suffered losses but kept hold of power. The surge of the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) cements its power in the former Communist East, where anti-immigrant sentiment, economic inequality, and a historical rift between East and West have thrown German politics into turmoil over the last several years. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDERNOW WATCH: Violent video games are played all over the world, but mass shootings are a uniquely American problem SEE ALSO: * 8 things cruise-ship workers want to tell passengers but can't * 6 things flight attendants want to tell you but can't * Germany's far-right populist party is poised to surge in the former Communist East 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall SEE ALSO: GERMANY'S FAR-RIGHT POPULIST PARTY IS POISED TO SURGE IN THE FORMER COMMUNIST EAST 30 YEARS AFTER THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL
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