Frauke Petry: Meet the smiling new face of Germany's far-right

...Even if Mrs Petry could be the person to transform AfD from a protest party to party in power, it is a journey that could yet sow the seeds of its own destruction, says Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, a pro-EU think-tank.

The record of other far-Right parties in Europe who have found their way in to government - like the populist Finns Party (PS) – suggests that entering government, with all its messy compromises, leads to a slide in support.

“Do you compromise and have a chauffeur-driven car, or remain true to your values in opposition? That’s the dilemma faced by all these parties, and we’ve seen in the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland that being in government does not help them in the polls,” says Mr Grant.

Mr Grant does not exclude the possibility of Mrs Petry can make the AfD brand “less smelly and more palatable” but only if the party reins in its wilder elements and commits to more mainstream positions on issues like Europe.