German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) narrowly beat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a local election in Brandenburg, with projections showing the SPD winning around 31 percent of the vote compared to the AfD’s 29 percent. This comes as a small victory for Scholz’s embattled coalition government, which has been struggling in opinion polls leading up to national elections next year.
Despite the win, it is unlikely to provide a major boost for Scholz and the SPD, as popular incumbent premier Hubert Dietmar Woidke distanced himself from the federal government’s policies during the campaign. The AfD had hoped to replicate its success in recent elections in the east but fell short in Brandenburg.
The AfD’s strong showing in the election, where they came in second, has put pressure on Scholz and his governing allies, the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats, who scored in the low single digits. Despite the AfD’s success at the ballot box, it is unlikely to take power in any state as other mainstream parties have ruled out forming a coalition with them.
The election in Brandenburg, where the SPD has ruled since reunification in 1990, was closely watched as a test of political sentiment in the east. With Scholz’s electoral district located in the state capital outside Berlin, the results will be closely analyzed for any implications for national politics.
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