AfD’s new state MPs include ex-Stasi officer, former porn actor, neopagans and neo-Nazis

Far-right German party’s newly elected representatives face fresh scrutiny as it tries to form government in Saxony-Anhalt

• Why is the AfD’s state victory significant and what might happen next?

The Alternative für Deutschland is facing scrutiny over the suitability of some of its prospective new MPs – including a former Stasi officer and a former pornography actor – just days after its historic win in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Presented by the AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, for a photocall in the state capital of Magdeburg on Thursday, some of the members-elect were revealed to have a range of questionable backgrounds, including criminal records, Stasi pasts and connections to far-right networks.