For Germans heading to the polls for a snap election, climate is not quite as important a factor as it used to be.

In this weekend’s vote, Europe’s largest economic power faces a decision about whether to decisively re-enter history or continue its risky somnolence.

On a wet evening in Suhl, in the former East Germany, a smattering of youthful faces were among hundreds lining up to hear from an unlikely idol - Björn Höcke, one of the most controversial figures in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Every time there is an election in Germany, starkly coloured polling maps make the rounds, tracing the old dividing line between East and West Germany during the Cold War with astonishing precision. The snap election this Sunday is no exception.

Long seen as having a stronghold in eastern Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is poised to make major gains in the west in Sunday's parliamentary elections, party leaders say. And a YouGov poll released on Thursday backs them up.