Far-right group drawing on Nazi past poised for additional electoral victories in Germany’s state elections

Polls have opened in the German state of Brandenburg, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to finish first, following recent successes in other eastern states. The party is capitalizing on concerns over economic slowdown, immigration, and the Ukraine war. Despite its popularity, the AfD is unlikely to be able to govern due to its lack of majority support and other parties’ refusal to work with them. The party is also benefiting from discontent over infighting in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party federal coalition. AfD candidate Hans-Christoph Berndt expressed optimism about the party’s prospects in Brandenburg, with polls showing increased support compared to 2019. A victory for the AfD in Brandenburg would be an embarrassment for the Social Democrats, who have governed the state since reunification in 1990. Popular SPD premier Dietmar Woidke has shunned campaigning with Scholz and criticized the ruling coalition’s policies. Recent polls suggest that the gap between the AfD and the SPD has narrowed, with the AfD at 28% and the SPD at 27%. Woidke has vowed to prevent right-wing extremists from gaining power, threatening to resign if his party falls behind the AfD. Scholz’s coalition partners, the Free Democrats and the Greens, are also struggling in the polls. Overall, the three parties in Scholz’s coalition are polling less than the opposition conservatives, but much could change before the federal election scheduled for September 2025.

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