The founder of the Euroskeptic party Alternative for Germany (AfD) lost a leadership vote on Saturday to his main rival, heralding a new focus on immigration for a party that was set up to oppose the euro.
Frauke Petry, a 40-year-old businesswoman who represents the AfD in the assembly of the state of Saxony, won 60 percent of the vote at an extraordinary party conference.
After his defeat, Bernd Lucke left open his future in the party he founded. He had wanted the AfD to focus on economic issues rather than immigration.