AfD eyes victory over Olaf Scholz’s SPD

The far right could be on the verge of its first election victory in a state considered a stronghold of Germany’s Social Democrats.

Brandenburg, near Berlin, was administered by The center-left Social Democratic Party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) since German reunification.

But two million voters will go to the polls on Sunday in a closely contested regional election that the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has a chance of winning.

This would contribute to the AfD’s recent election success – and cause great embarrassment for Scholz, who lives in the state capital Potsdam.

Such a result, while far from certain, would cast further doubt on Scholz’s ability to lead the party in next year’s federal election, where he hopes to win a second term despite falling popularity.

AfD has become the first far-right party won a state election in Germany since World War IIin the eastern state of Thuringia, on 1 September, and took a narrow second place in Saxony on the same day.

The group, officially classified as “extremist” in several states, is unlikely to enter regional government if it wins in Brandenburg, as all other parties have refused to cooperate with it.

Polling stations in Brandenburg will close at 18:00 (1600 GMT) and the first exit poll results and preliminary predictions will be released shortly after voting ends.

The AfD did not win a majority in Thuringia or Saxony and is unlikely to win votes in Brandenburg either.

But it would be a largely symbolic victory, as the AfD continues to capitalize on concerns about economic recession, immigration and the war in Ukraine — concerns that resonate strongly in formerly communist eastern Germany.

Brandenburg is a traditional stronghold of the SPD – the party has won elections in the sparsely populated state since East and West Germany were reunified in 1990.

The popular SPD chancellor, Dietmar Woidke, barely campaigned with Scholz and criticized the behavior and policies of his ruling coalition.

Meanwhile, Scholz called on other parties earlier this month prevent the “far-right party” AfD from holding office by maintaining so-called firewalls to counter it.

The chancellor, an SPD member and former leader, described the results in Thuringia and Saxony as “bitter” and “worrying”.

Hans-Christoph Berndt, the AfD candidate for premier of Brandenburg state, voted in the town of Golssen, south of Berlin on Sunday and said the party had enjoyed growing support since the last state election in 2019.

With support from young people, the AfD has led the SPD in the polls – but it is estimated that more than a quarter of voters are still undecided.