She’s been described as the politician of contradictions.

Alice Weidel is the leader of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party but is married to a Sri-Lankan born woman.A gay woman, she has two children with her partner, but is part of a political party which defines family as a father and mother raising children.

She’s a German nationalist who spends most of her time living in a small town in central Switzerland.

She has been described as the “respectable” and more moderate face of party that has been linked to neo-Nazis and plots to overthrow the German state.

While the AfD didn’t win Germany’s federal election last weekend, the party is now the second largest in the country, having doubled its vote share in just four years.

How did Weidel break the AfD into Germany’s mainstream political area and rally the support needed to secure more than 20 per cent of the vote in last weekend’s election?

And what is it about this Swiss-based ex-banker that appeals to the German people?

New York Times reporter Christopher Schuetze, who covers politics from Berlin, joins the podcast.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak, produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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