In an unexpected turn of events, the AfD is only a few percentage points behind
Ahead of a state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern a leading political scientist has warned Angela Merkel's government must rush to address fears which are gripping the nation.
The race may be a state election, but the results could indicate another EU nation is leaning towards far-right leaders.
In the election 71 seats in the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will be contested with the governing grand coalition between the SPD and CDU is campaigning to defend its majority.
Oskar Niedermayer has warned politicians in the country both the terror threat and rising numbers of refugees in the nation must be spoken about clearly.
Ignoring the issues, he warned, will only profit the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Now, the country's oldest party, the Social Democratic Party and the liberal-conservative Christian Democratic Union are running neck and neck in the state election.
But in an unexpected turn of events the AfD is only a few percentage points behind.
Mr Niedermayer has warned left-wing politicians they will lose support if they continue to run negative campaigns - which fail to address the most important issues.
He also warned the CDU will be wounded by Chancellor Merkel's decisions.
He said: "Because of her refugee policy, Merkel is no longer as highly rated as she used to be.
"Therefore I do not assume that Merkel and the CDU will be as strong again as in 2013. And the SPD doesn't exactly have the ideal top candidate with Gabriel either.
"Fears of the population cannot simply be argued away. These fears are there, and if we don't accept this it will cause a defence mechanism of the affected: They will drop us.
"They were lifted and know nothing about our real problems. This will then lead to even greater solidarity, and that can be dangerous.
"In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern politicians have to make it clear that the state is in control of the refugee crisis."
Niederbayer also argued left-wing politicians must stop demonising anyone who supports AfD.
He warned calling them 'Nazis, all-right populists' or 'crazies and yokels' will not put them in the public's good graces.
Merkel was hugely popular in Germany, being seen by many as the key to the CDU's success in the country.
The chancellor was increasingly seen as a "crisis manager" but the support is dying away after the influx of over 1.5m migrants in Germany in 2013.
Events which later unfolded including the Cologne sex attacks and terror attacks in Munich, Cologne and Ansbach have enraged voters.
Merkel is largely blamed for her invitation to Syrians to come to her country, which she gave via the world's media.
