Hundreds of protesters gather outside far-right AfD election party

Several hundred demonstrators protested outside where members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) planned to watch Sunday's election results in the eastern German state of Brandenburg.

The demonstrators held placards and banners with slogans including "Potsdam Nazi-free" outside the AfD event on the outskirts of Potsdam, Brandenburg's state capital. A dpa reporter at the scene noted numerous police officers.

Opinion polls suggest the AfD are neck and neck with the ruling centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) in the state;s parliamentary election.

The AfD is already riding high after finishing first in a state election in Thuringia earlier this month, and placing a close second to the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) in the state of Saxony.

Brandenburg's domestic intelligence agency has listed the AfD's state-level party organization as a suspected far-right extremist group. The agency also considers several leading AfD figures in Brandenburg, including top AfD candidate Hans-Christoph Berndt, to be confirmed right-wing extremists.