Brandenburg state elections: Social Democrats narrowly defeat far-right

According to exit polls, the Social Democratic Party of Germany managed to retain first place with great difficulty in the state elections held in the federal state of Brandenburg.

Exit polls show the SPD, which has been in power in Brandenburg since the first post-reunification elections in 1990, has won 31 percent of voters. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was just one percentage point behind, with 30 percent.

Third place, ahead of the CDU, went to the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, a breakaway from the Left Party, the successor to the SED. Despite its political orientation, this movement has much in common with the AfD, including Euroscepticism and the fight against migrants.

It should also be noted that the popular state prime minister Dietmar Woidke distanced himself from his fellow SPD member, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during the election campaign. Nevertheless, the outcome of the vote was a victory for Scholz as well.