Scholz’s Party Leads in German State Vote Ahead of Far Right
- ARD projections put SPD at 31% narrowly ahead of AfD with 30%
- Chancellor looks to have avoided another state vote setback
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Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats appear to have held off a strong challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany to retain power in the eastern region of Brandenburg, sparing the chancellor and his party another embarrassing electoral setback.
The SPD, which has ruled the former communist region surrounding Berlin since reunification in 1990, came first with 31.1%, according to projections Sunday for public broadcaster ARD. It follows a run of woeful performances by the party in state elections, which were seen at least in part as a referendum on Scholz’s deeply unpopular governing alliance at the national level.