A new band of influencers unafraid of confrontation has helped elevate the Alternative for Germany party to second in pre-election polls.

Emily Wünsch voices the frustration of other young people in Germany, when the 21-year-old dismisses the political mainstream as aloof and out of touch.

Young people in particular are concerned about the future of their country and the Europe they grew up in, as the AfD stands against the core values of the European Union, which it would like to leave or abolish altogether.

An economic slump, an immigration crisis and the lifting of a security blanket provided for decades by the U.S. are issues on the minds of German voters. The far-right AfD is polling in second place.

The Sunday vote comes amid an economy in the doldrums, big questions over Europe's security posture, and a surging far-right.