Scholz’s centre-left SPD garnered between 31 and 32 percent of the vote, slightly surpassing the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, which obtained between 29 and 30 percent according to exit surveys conducted by the two main public broadcasters.
If validated, this outcome would provide a rare break for Scholz’s beleaguered coalition government, which has seen a significant decline in opinion polls a year before the national elections.
The election in Brandenburg state has been under close scrutiny as Scholz’s SPD has governed there since Germany’s reunification in 1990 and because the chancellor’s electoral district is located in Potsdam, the state capital near Berlin.
The AfD, known for its strong stance against asylum-seekers, multiculturalism, Islam, and Scholz’s administration, had aimed to mirror its recent successes in the east. Just three weeks ago, the party made headlines by securing first place in a parliamentary vote in Thuringia, its first-ever victory, and coming a close second in neighboring Saxony.
