AfD suffers defeat in Nordhausen mayoral election

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has lost the mayoral race in Nordhausen, Germany. Incumbent mayor Kai Buchmann, running as an independent, secured 54.9% of the vote, defeating AfD candidate Jörg Prophet, who received 45.1%. Prophet had been the favorite ahead of the polls, but Buchmann was able to harness support from mainstream voters who view the AfD as right-wing extremists. The AfD's popularity has been rising, but Germany's established parties have united to keep them out of power.