PoliticsGermanyFar-right AfD surges in poverty-stricken western German city02:32This browser does not support the video element.PoliticsGermanyAnja Koch in Gelsenkirchen, Germany02/26/2025February 26, 2025Eastern Germany has traditionally been a stronghold of the far-right AfD party. Now, it's emerged as the strongest force in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, a former coal mining hub. Copy linkAdvertisement