On a wet evening in Suhl, in the former East Germany, a smattering of youthful faces were among hundreds lining up to hear from an unlikely idol - Björn Höcke, one of the most controversial figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

In recent years, far-right political movements have gained traction across Europe. Parties that once existed on the fringes are now entering mainstream debates and, in some cases, influencing policy.

ISENBURG, Germany (Reuters) - "Alice fuer Deutschland" (Alice for Germany) chanted supporters as far-right leader Alice Weidel addressed an election rally outside Germany's financial centre Frankfurt,

EXCLUSIVE: Hans-Olaf Henkel joined the AfD in 2014, one year before Angela Merkel launched her open-door immigration policy.

This would position the AfD in second place with 20 percent of the vote, following only after the center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian ally, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), which together garnered 30 percent of the vote.