Neck-and-Neck Race Expected in Brandenburg Elections

potsdam - The German state of Brandenburg is set to elect a new regional parliament with a close contest between the right-wing nationalist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the Social Democrats (SPD) of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The intelligence services in Brandenburg consider the AfD in the state a suspected right-wing extremist group. Despite this, the anti-immigration party remains popular among voters, slightly outscoring the SPD in recent polls. The state, neighboring the capital Berlin, currently has a coalition government consisting of the SPD, the Christian Democrats (CDU), and the Greens, led by Dietmar Woidke of the SPD.

Earlier this month, the AfD became the largest party in a state for the first time in its history, in Thuringia. The party also became the second-largest party in Saxony. Many parties refuse to cooperate with the AfD, making it unlikely for them to be part of a regional government. Scholz called on established parties to form governments without "right-wing extremists" following the elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

The state elections come a year before the federal parliamentary elections in Germany, scheduled for September 28, 2025.