Far-right AfD becomes third strongest party in Germany

BERLIN, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD) on Sunday was elected into the new German federal parliament with about 13.5 percent of votes, becoming the third strongest party in the Bundestag, preliminary exit polls showed.

It is also the first far-right populist in the Bundestag since WWII. The AfD's votes crossed the five-percent-vote threshold that Germany election rule sets for parties to be elected in the Bundestag.

Founded in 2013, the eurosceptic and anti-immigration party -- which welcomed Brexit, missed the Bundestag with 4.7 percent of votes in the same year.

The party gained momentum during the Euro-crisis and the refugee crisis. It was polling at around 10 percent before Sunday's federal election.