ARNIS, Germany (AP) — In the smallest town in Germany, just one out of 228 eligible voters cast their ballot for Alternative for Germany even as the far-right, anti-immigrant party saw historic gains elsewhere in the country during Sunday’s national election.

The far-right group has learned to communicate in a country where traditional media no longer shape public opinion.

When Elon Musk posted on X in December that the only thing that could “save Germany” was the AfD, he was embracing a political force that has moved steadily to the extreme right since it was founded in 2013.

Alternative for Germany, the reformation party that sits to the right of the CDU/CSU's centrist conservatism, received approximately 20.8% of the vote.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democrats, has ruled out a coalition with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which finished second in last week's elections. View on euronew

Senior figures from Germany's conservatives and the Social Democrats will begin exploratory talks on forming a coalition government on Friday, sources at the parties told Reuters. Friedrich Merz, leader of the conservative bloc which came first in Sunday's election,