The German parliament was quiet earlier this week, emptied by post-election recess — except for one corner, where the sound of clinking glasses and cheerful chatter spilled from the lawmakers’ restaurant. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) had taken over the space to toast its recent success in federal elections.

After winning 152 seats and a record 21 per cent of the vote, the party can no longer be dismissed as a fringe phenomenon: it is now the second-largest force in parliament.

“We’re a people’s party now,” declared a triumphant Alice Weidel, co-chair of the party, in reference to a term once reserved for the largest centre-right and centre-left parties that have dominated Germany’s postwar politics. “And we’re on the up,” she said.