UPDATE - Ruling SPD wins German state elections after tight race with far-right AfD

UPDATES WITH COMMENTS FROM AFD CO-LEADER TINO CHRUPALLA, ADDS BACKGROUND, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s ruling Social Democrats have won the most votes in Brandenburg state elections, after a neck-and-neck race against the far-right on Sunday.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) won 30.9% of the vote in its traditional stronghold, up from 26.2% five years ago, according to the official provisional election results.

The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second with 29.2% of the vote, posting its best-ever result in the eastern state of Brandenburg. It increased its vote share by almost six percentage points.

Scholz’s coalition partners, the pro-environment Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), suffered one of their worst election results and failed to make the 5% threshold needed to take seats in the state parliament.

The newly formed left-wing populist party, Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), secured third place by winning 13.5% of the vote. It emerged as a kingmaker and major coalition scenarios now depend on the party’s decision.

- AfD hails election results

The AfD’s co-chairman, Tino Chrupalla, hailed his party’s performance and said they will now assume the role of main opposition in Brandenburg.

“The Greens, the most dangerous party of Germany, is no longer in the state parliament, that’s the good outcome of the election night, alongside our very good result,” he told a press conference on Monday.

Chrupalla also argued that with the AfD’s success, the liberal FDP and the left-wing Die Linke are out of the state parliament.

All major parties running in the election ruled out forming a coalition government with the far-right AfD, due to its anti-democratic behavior and links to right-wing extremist groups.

The higher-than-expected support for the SPD was widely interpreted as most voters’ concern over the rise of far-right, and their desire to keep the AfD out of power.

Initial voter turnout of 72.9% was higher than any of the previous state elections in Brandenburg. In 2019, only 61.3% of the eligible voters cast their vote.

Sunday’s exit polls showed that many voters were also concerned about their economic welfare, were 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 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.