Germany Heads to the Polls: AfD Threatens Social Democrats Stronghold in Brandenburg

In Brandenburg, a tight race between AfD and SPD could see a right-wing populist victory threaten Chancellor Scholz’s position in his home state.

Bjoern Hoecke (L), lead candidate of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia, and Mario Voigt, lead candidate of the German Christian Democrats (CDU) wait to speak in a television interview at the Thuringia State Parliament following Thuringia state elections in Erfurt, Germany, on Sept. 1, 2024. Jens Schlueter/Getty Images

Germany’s state of Brandenburg could be on the brink of a major political shift as voters head to the polls this weekend in a neck-and-neck race between the AfD and Social Democrats.

The latest poll by ZDF Politbarometer Extra put the right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) slightly ahead at 28 percent, closely followed at 27 percent by the center-right governing Social Democrats (SPD), who have long considered the region a heartland.