Chancellor Angela Merkel was Europe's most powerful politician but many of her traditional supporters punished her by voting AfD.
In last September's German elections, the right wing Alternative For Deutschland (AfD) became the first far-right party to win seats in the German parliament since the Second World War.
The shock result weakened Chancellor Angela Merkel who is still struggling to form a coalition government.
In eastern Germany, Hajo Exner used to vote for Angela Merkel and Ramona Poniatowski never voted. But today they are the supporters of far-right AfD.
"It's a people's party, and it talks to people, not like other parties. And for me it's their social agenda, dealing with poverty, health cuts, all the things we lack." Poniatowski said.
Merkel was Europe's most powerful politician but many of her traditional supporters punished her by voting AfD.
As a result, she is now struggling to patch together a new coalition with the left of centre Social Democrats (SPD).
TRT World's Simon McGregor-Wood reports from Gorlitz town in eastern Germany to find out why so many people support the AfD.
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