India, Sept. 15 -- Alternative for Germany (AfD), the German far-right party that has been backed by Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump, tripled its vote share in municipal elections in the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Interestingly, North Rhine-Westphalia is the home state of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose Christian Democrats maintained their position as the strongest force in the election. However, the rise of the AfD does put the leader under pressure to revive growth and push through reforms.

In the country's most populous state, AfD, which has a strong anti-immigration platform, increased its share of the vote by 10.2 per cent, from 5.1 per cent to 15.3 per cent. The party was also vying for the lead in the ma...