German exit poll suggests tight race between SPD and far-right AfD

BERLIN

Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) was expected to win the most votes in Brandenburg state elections on Sunday, according to latest projections.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD was seen winning up to 31.1% of the vote, up from 26.2% five years ago, according to projections by public broadcaster ARD, based on exit polls and partial counting.

The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) was projected to come in second by increasing its vote share by more than 6 percentage points to 29.8%, posting its best-ever result in the eastern state of Brandenburg.

The newly formed left-wing populist party, Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), was expected to get about 12.3% and become the third-largest group in Brandenburg’s state parliament.

Exit polls showed that most voters were concerned about their economic welfare, critical of Western military support to Ukraine, and were demanding stronger measures from authorities to stop irregular migration.

Nearly 48% of those who voted for the SPD on Sunday said they have decided to do so due to their support for the Social Democrat premier Dietmar Woidke, who has led Brandenburg for more than a decade.

65% of the electorate said they have a positive view of Dietmar Woidke’s performance.