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Anti-migrant German party weakened on eve of key state vote

Published October 14,2017
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Three weeks after sweeping into Germany's national parliament for the first time, an anti-immigration party is poised for a weaker result in an upcoming state election.

Alternative for Germany received almost 13 percent of the vote in a Sept. 24 federal election, making it the third-strongest party in the Bundestag.

A number of members have since left the party, including figurehead Frauke Petry and lawmakers in several state parliaments, with many citing AfD's right-ward drift.

Recent polls predict AfD will take about 7 percent of Sunday's vote in the northern state of Lower-Saxony. It needs 5 percent to get into the state parliament.

About 6.1 million residents are eligible to vote. Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats hope to oust the Social Democrats of Lower-Saxony governor Stephan Weil.