Germany: Brandenburg goes to the polls with far-right AfD hoping for second state win – Europe live | Germany

Far-right AfD aims to make German history in Brandenburg elections

Kate Connolly

Probably one of Germany's smallest states in terms of population, Brandenburg, made up of rural areas and suburban settlements surrounding Berlin, currently has around 2.5 million residents eligible to vote.

However, the election is attracting a lot of attention despite the state's size, as far-right parties are expected to make inroads. Alternative for Germany (AfD) It was the first time that the far-right had won a state election in Germany since the war, upsetting the status quo with a victory in Thuringia and coming second in neighbouring Saxony with more than 30% of the vote.

Marianne Spring-RaumshusselThe AfD leader in Cottbus city council predicted a “splendid” victory for the party, which has led the polls in the canton for more than a year. “The feeling is in the air.”

The only one in East Germany Social Democratic Party The vote in Brandenburg, which has held power consistently since German reunification in 1990, is seen as a particular test for Chancellor SPD's embattled coalition government. Olaf Scholz,According to one study, This week's pollOnly 3% of Germans are convinced that this is good for the country.

The Brandenburg vote is seen as a referendum on Scholz's government and a defeat for the Social Democrats would be highly symbolic, especially ahead of elections next autumn. Federal Elections.

Read the full story here.

On what has been a gloriously sunny autumn day in Brandenburg, voter turnout is thought to have been high.

“,”elementId”:”737014e0-e09b-4268-b617-87755cf1c582″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

By 2pm local time, 46.1% of voters – 2.1 million are eligible, including 100,000 new voters, after the voting age was lowered to 16 – had cast their ballot, according to the state election registrar.

“,”elementId”:”8dd0cc92-ad0d-4370-a6f0-5f46d987df96″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At the same time on the last election day five years ago, 31.3% had been to the polling booth.

“,”elementId”:”e2eef64e-7dae-4bbc-b241-930174d66f08″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Polling stations opened at 8am and will close at 6pm local time.

“,”elementId”:”e19a2610-2c1f-4e2d-b3bc-f5d288bfcbae”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3102″,”width”:”5170″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/5170.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3102″,”width”:”5170″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1200″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”600″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”300″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”84″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”9a0b6e2e-672f-4edf-a03f-f1b959262c9b”,”imageSource”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=553fbd94e2c8df0e05380a569b025f92″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d9b3f5692524d7c454f31ae3eb2e0ed9″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0b1b1aec0bdae236061399e209717d7e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ba22018f540d7f43dd43bbc6b067ba92″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0dd63e1c2835d65b099d80ad810078ce”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8eea863ed7b044d5c39fb62bfbb308c2″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7f3fe4495586ceb970bd44271c2b5777″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c2133ebb24c7a7a13361704f2cf5a46b”,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ffd8bcec36d294592bface74f8ae2e1d”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=16445bc76a634a280259a46fb6c67518″,”width”:240}]},{“weight”:”support”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3da1c375b2d06731bffb87f331e26ec9″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f9a6a4b6e033fa26ee5ae578e07ddc4c”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=901c528849094fe43e645557cc7fa0b7″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1c81e0e883cfb1fe74b571986f059aea”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=553fbd94e2c8df0e05380a569b025f92″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d9b3f5692524d7c454f31ae3eb2e0ed9″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0b1b1aec0bdae236061399e209717d7e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ba22018f540d7f43dd43bbc6b067ba92″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0dd63e1c2835d65b099d80ad810078ce”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8eea863ed7b044d5c39fb62bfbb308c2″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”Showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=81488418c2f89491c1e17739434ad97b”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=110685bc7f520acf9d5a130f02bd7d78″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9a3f14c823634738b58039aeb85bbd1f”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fa7dc8d44ce17286a9d301413b2049bb”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=553fbd94e2c8df0e05380a569b025f92″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d9b3f5692524d7c454f31ae3eb2e0ed9″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0b1b1aec0bdae236061399e209717d7e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ba22018f540d7f43dd43bbc6b067ba92″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0dd63e1c2835d65b099d80ad810078ce”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8eea863ed7b044d5c39fb62bfbb308c2″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”half width”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=553fbd94e2c8df0e05380a569b025f92″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d9b3f5692524d7c454f31ae3eb2e0ed9″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0b1b1aec0bdae236061399e209717d7e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ba22018f540d7f43dd43bbc6b067ba92″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0dd63e1c2835d65b099d80ad810078ce”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8eea863ed7b044d5c39fb62bfbb308c2″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2cb1f1081df90735b648ec629c3e7be4″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=30fbcb36817a8a5ef2af80c87a950203″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=409c56ebcfc1af75e044fd5104000eec”,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c57f33c0cf8cc8990c08c4cffd01d5c7″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=faeada4448ef36b451d7d9ccb40630eb”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b36a14d1228c957b07eb5a11fe60adba”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=75193e9fb71f3f22bde98108fcfda313″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=897cc71516b894b49c1ddbb88154174e”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e69a2782ef710fccb8728d8c947cbe80″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a5ac644a9f7d8c2f4b644a93ce8f14c4″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=78569f1102cbde428871fe2802f1fa97″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=14d624c08b57b8a29308ccae5681a3ad”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=18ac6620ac6f2530c05bbc97c1ce33f9″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ccb1852b1b75a3b9289f781316c457a5da3c8cfb/0_135_5170_3102/master/5170.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=727c8f4a8e19d931c9b4724fe91b43b7″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”A dog waits for a man to cast his vote during the Brandenburg state elections in Forst, Germany, on September 22, 2024.”,”caption”:”A dog waits for a man to cast his vote during the Brandenburg state elections in Forst, Germany, on September 22, 2024.”,”credit”:”Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1727018690000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.24 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1727018736000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.25 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1727018736000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.25 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.25″,”title”:”High voter turnout in Brandenburg”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Kate Connolly”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/06/04/Kate-Connolly.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c24e9976ec512539e04ddebf11921f9″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/06/04/Kate_Connolly,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=229e118186855645212769324f29a11d”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Sunday, September 22, 2024 11:31 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First Published Sunday, September 22, 2024 11:11 EDT”},{“id”:”66f035398f08f8e7c5ded863″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Voters in the northern German state of Brandenburg are today deciding not only on the future make up of the regional parliament but holding what is being seen as the equivalent of a referendum on the future of the embattled coalition government of Olaf Scholz.

“,”elementId”:”c2f5ea8a-0d56-4424-a54c-9be06e4745dd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

His Social Democrats have ruled in Brandenburg, the state that surrounds Berlin like a doughnut, since reunification in 1990.

“,”elementId”:”c9b92bd3-e426-4506-a810-79017562e6e2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

All eyes are on the state, as the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) was leading in the final pre-election polls with 28%, ahead of the Social Democratic party (SPD), and could be about to win the state for the first time.

“,”elementId”:”dd9afced-4c9b-4523-97b2-ae0b46c275c9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

However, in what is being described as a neck and neck race, the SPD has considerably narrowed the gap in recent days, and in final polls was just a single percentage point behind the AfD, with 27%.

“,”elementId”:”fa93f63c-c677-40e8-96c6-9e92d3707c26″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The SPD’s incumbent leader, Dietmar Woidke, has effectively gambled his party’s success in the vote on his own popularity ratings, pledging to resign if the AfD beats his party. The AfD has called for the resignation of Chancellor Scholz in the event of its winning the state.

“,”elementId”:”93348993-5855-49b3-8021-710f10ff6787″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In what has become an increasingly fractured political landscape in recent years (the AfD came into being 11 years ago), the newcomers, Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), a left-wing, conservative grouping which broke away from the far-left Die Linke and has been in existence since January, has a good chance of entering government. It was polling around 13% in final surveys.

“,”elementId”:”85e0a97e-c50a-454f-b1f9-7e017fc8569a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A so-called ‘firewall’ has been put up by the established parties, meaning they will not form a coalition with the AfD. This has the potential to make the BSW a kingmaker in any powerbroking.

“,”elementId”:”ca4a0466-924e-4f9f-ba50-3be2c2a53071″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Greens and pro-business FDP – the junior partners in Scholz’s government, are at risk of failing to reach the 5% hurdle needed to get into parliament.

“,”elementId”:”cd0077ad-0479-48ed-960b-3a1421ef273f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Three weeks ago the AfD upended the status quo by winning the state election in Thuringia with 33% – the first time a far-right force had won a state election in post-war Germany – accompanied by a strong second place in neighbouring Saxony with more than 30%.

“,”elementId”:”db38b52b-bab6-4d53-8a3b-996cc05cf721″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1727018297000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.18 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1727018534000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.22 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1727018534000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.22 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.22″,”title”:”What's at stake in Brandenburg?”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Kate Connolly”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/06/04/Kate-Connolly.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c24e9976ec512539e04ddebf11921f9″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/06/04/Kate_Connolly,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=229e118186855645212769324f29a11d”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Sunday, September 22, 2024 11:31 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First Published Sunday, September 22, 2024 11:11 EDT”},{“id”:”66efc2b78f08f8e7c5ded52d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

About 2.5 million Brandenburgers are eligible to vote today in what may be one of the smallest German states population-wise, comprising a belt of rural, and suburban settlements surrounding Berlin.

“,”elementId”:”d3423b10-6952-44ca-8adf-a58a2953c1b1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Yet, with its predicted boost for the far-right party, the race is drawing a huge amount of attention that belies the state’s size. Three weeks ago, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) upended the status quo with its win in Thuringia – the first time a far-right force had won a state election in post-war Germany – accompanied by a strong second place in neighbouring Saxony with more than 30%.

“,”elementId”:”0cfb5490-5285-46a3-8ee8-899d078695aa”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Marianne Spring-Räumschüssel, an AfD representative on Cottbus city council, predicted a “glorious” victory for the AfD, which has been leading the polls in the state for more than a year. “You can smell it in the air.”

“,”elementId”:”d892b2f7-8b33-4186-bac2-be7d47c6daeb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As the only state in eastern Germany where the Social Democrats have ruled continuously since German reunification in 1990, Brandenburg’s vote is seen as a particular test for the embattled coalition government of the SPD chancellor, Olaf Scholz, which, according to a poll this week, only 3% of Germans are convinced is good for the country.

“,”elementId”:”fb95d8ff-2441-4e0f-a205-7f41df37d931″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

With Brandenburg’s vote being viewed as a referendum on Scholz’s government, defeat for the SPD would be of deep symbolic significance, particularly before next autumn’s Bundestag election.

“,”elementId”:”1e0e04f4-0da9-4161-825e-117f5c40e02c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Read the full story here.

“,”elementId”:”01213fc1-95d6-4297-8077-0f501810db78″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3460″,”width”:”5190″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/5190.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3460″,”width”:”5190″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1333″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”667″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”333″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”93″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”81804474-3fcb-4bbc-a354-65e074c3364f”,”image source”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ee257ce01377053bf1be15089445d92a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6640f83ca231765876d1663ed59bd733″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ef386b36e070c5f101ee51837e93e170″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4abfe3c26ba2a6b42b52bb40931cbe4f”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=16bbbe5d33fd6ee15f5e72ad9a778729″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52dde0d636ce55dc0935d10023730357″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3432278afb840c2141b9321ae2f2a5c1″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=610fc376ac20ab1c825ba97af13e65d2″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4e06b19ec07a3cbf222e985ca7c48a29″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2df5368f4594500e87f477c73865ebed”,”width”:240}]},{“weight”:”support”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=53b3d7201e08ca1fa23cd0de33182e41″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=db1749ef5d045c1de5eeee0031d248ab”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bb125a2e36539a050f7044a4d36a1b2″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7dff1bc990802a1fa7845dfbdd47d28f”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ee257ce01377053bf1be15089445d92a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6640f83ca231765876d1663ed59bd733″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ef386b36e070c5f101ee51837e93e170″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4abfe3c26ba2a6b42b52bb40931cbe4f”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=16bbbe5d33fd6ee15f5e72ad9a778729″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52dde0d636ce55dc0935d10023730357″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”Showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b5fda5fdafc08cdcc365323ac2908d76″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7606fdbcbbc9c8e3c424f16df3573577″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3660e6204c0aa5d809e44b208c936fca”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bb2fde5f3d605197639a7a43654821b9″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ee257ce01377053bf1be15089445d92a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6640f83ca231765876d1663ed59bd733″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ef386b36e070c5f101ee51837e93e170″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4abfe3c26ba2a6b42b52bb40931cbe4f”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=16bbbe5d33fd6ee15f5e72ad9a778729″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52dde0d636ce55dc0935d10023730357″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”half width”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ee257ce01377053bf1be15089445d92a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6640f83ca231765876d1663ed59bd733″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ef386b36e070c5f101ee51837e93e170″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4abfe3c26ba2a6b42b52bb40931cbe4f”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=16bbbe5d33fd6ee15f5e72ad9a778729″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=52dde0d636ce55dc0935d10023730357″,”width”:890}]},{“weight”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=eff101942266da04c5620e1beb9fc466″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=83a949eec1d831fab8a70fdd46b7bea9″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=88b4246d4e14259b7bcffc91cc0f1005″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=67d2edcfc315cd06694e941fcb0fba90″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b343427ce17cb3b2ba78029a5a93daba”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=39fd4e629045c40588a5906eb50a6825″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a732834ff15ea690cf75a9f978c95f35″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=45a5d6e1e06240f387e6b18bd17793ce”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c26b785180d5e47c7f52eccff1b89cf6″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1b7e2f213f8867f2b1172e434bde7235″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d371e55726645692de0cb94a7aa99ece”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d155afe70c02f4f4f6ed930ecda099de”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=16ef59a2af1b04a9983e34577e2c54f8″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d16e59f6aeedbd55ac15a027f7ed943710c74c3/0_0_5190_3460/master/5190.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=20d60a805cecfb1ba93acdd5c94468c5″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party attend an election rally in Cottbus, Germany, on September 19, 2024. “,”caption”:”Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party attend an election rally in Cottbus, Germany, on September 19, 2024. “,”credit”:”Photo: Philip Singer/EPA”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1727017906000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.11 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1727015611000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”10.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1727017906000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.11 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.11″,”title”:”Far-right AfD aims for first in German history in Brandenburg elections”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Kate Connolly”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/06/04/Kate-Connolly.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c24e9976ec512539e04ddebf11921f9″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/06/04/Kate_Connolly,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=229e118186855645212769324f29a11d”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Sunday, September 22, 2024 11:31 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First Published Sunday, September 22, 2024 11:11 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”absoluteServerTimes”:false}”>

Main Events

High voter turnout in Brandenburg

Kate Connolly

It was a beautiful, sunny autumn day in Brandenburg and turnout was likely high.

As of 2 p.m. local time, 46.1% of 2.1 million voters were eligible to vote, including 100,000 more after the voting age was lowered to 16, according to state election officials.

At the same time on the last election day five years ago, 31.3% of voters had shown up to their polling stations.

Polls open at 8am local time and close at 6pm.

What is at stake in Brandenburg?

Kate Connolly

Voters in the northern German state of Brandenburg are today not only deciding the future composition of their state parliament, but also holding what amounts to a referendum on the future of their beleaguered coalition government. Olaf Scholz.

His Social Democrats have governed Brandenburg, the doughnut-shaped state surrounding Berlin, since reunification in 1990.

All eyes are on the state. Alternative for Germany (AfD) In the polls before the final election, he was leading with 28%. Social Democrats (SPD)and potentially win the state for the first time.

But in what is said to be a close race, the SPD has closed the gap considerably in recent days, with final opinion polls showing it sitting on 27%, just one percentage point behind the AfD.

The current leader of the SPD, Dietmar WojtkeHe has effectively staked his party's election victory on his own popularity, promising to step down if the AfD beats him. The AfD has called for Scholz to step down if it wins state elections.

In recent years, the political landscape has become increasingly divisive (the AfD was founded 11 years ago), but the newcomers Saharan Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW)The left-wing conservative group “Left Party for Germany”, which broke away from the far-left “Left Party” and has been active since January, is likely to take power. The last polls showed its approval rating at about 13%.

Existing political parties have set up what is known as a “firewall” and will not form a coalition government with the AfD. This could make the BSW the master of all powers.

of Green Party Pro-business FDP Scholz's ruling Conservative Party, a minority party, is at risk of falling short of the 5% hurdle needed to enter parliament.

Three weeks ago, the AfD upended the status quo by winning Thuringia's state elections with 33 percent of the vote — the first time a far-right party has won a state election in Germany since the war — and came second in neighboring Saxony with more than 30 percent of the vote.

Far-right AfD aims to make German history in Brandenburg elections

Kate Connolly

One of Germany's smallest states by population, Brandenburg is made up of rural areas and suburban settlements surrounding Berlin, with around 2.5 million Brandenburgers currently eligible to vote.

However, the election is attracting a lot of attention despite the state's size, as far-right parties are expected to make inroads. Alternative for Germany (AfD) It was the first time that the far-right had won a state election in Germany since the war, upsetting the status quo with a victory in Thuringia and coming second in neighbouring Saxony with more than 30% of the vote.

Marianne Spring-RaumshusselThe AfD leader in Cottbus city council predicted a “splendid” victory for the party, which has led the polls in the canton for more than a year. “The feeling is in the air.”

The only one in East Germany Social Democratic Party The vote in Brandenburg, which has held power consistently since German reunification in 1990, is seen as a particular test for Chancellor SPD's embattled coalition government. Olaf Scholz,According to one study, This week's pollOnly 3% of Germans are convinced that this is good for the country.

The Brandenburg vote is seen as a referendum on Scholz's government and a defeat for the Social Democrats would be highly symbolic, especially ahead of elections next autumn. Federal Elections.

Read the full story here.