SPD beats right-wing AfD in eastern Brandenburg
Published: Sunday, Sep 22nd 2024, 22:50
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In the state elections in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, the Social Democrats (SPD) led by Minister President Dietmar Woidke narrowly beat the right-wing populist AfD to become the strongest party once again.
According to projections by broadcasters ARD and ZDF, they are followed by the new left-wing populist alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) and the Christian Democrats (CDU), who achieved their worst result in East Germany since 1990. The Greens, Left Party, liberal FDP and BVB/Freie Wähler remain below the five percent threshold and are not represented in the state parliament in Potsdam.
Woidke could thus continue to govern after eleven years in office - either an alliance with the BSW or a three-party coalition with the BSW and CDU would be possible.
According to projections, the SPD achieved between 30.7% and 30.9% (2019: 26.2%). The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is classified as a suspected far-right party by the domestic intelligence service in Brandenburg, increased to 29.4% (23.5%). The rise of the AfD has also recently triggered concerns abroad about a shift to the right in Germany, for example among EU and NATO partners.
The BSW comes to 13.4 percent from a standing start. The CDU drops to 12 to 12.1 percent (15.6). The Greens lose massively and end up with 4.1 to 4.2 percent (10.8). The Left Party slips to 3 percent (10.7). BVB/Freie Wähler come in at 2.6 percent (5.0), the FDP is below one percent according to the ARD projection.
According to its second vote result, the SPD has 32 seats in the state parliament (2019: 25), while the AfD has 30 (23). The BSW therefore received 14 seats, the CDU 12 (15). The Greens, Left Party, BVB/Freie and FDP are below the five percent mark. After counting almost all constituencies, it is also very unlikely that these parties will win a direct mandate.
According to projections, voter turnout is 73 to 73.5 percent, the highest since 1990. In 2019, it was 61.3 percent.
Brandenburg has been governed by the SPD since 1990
After recent poor results in the European elections and the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony, in which the AfD did very well, the SPD can now breathe a sigh of relief - even at national level. SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz can hope for a slight tailwind for the federal election campaign. He reacted with satisfaction to the result and will not comment in more detail until Monday. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil backed Scholz as candidate for chancellor in view of his success.
Since reunification in 1990, the Social Democrats have consistently held the office of Minister President in Brandenburg. During the election campaign, the 62-year-old Woidke deliberately avoided any major joint appearances with Scholz - probably also due to the Berlin coalition's poor poll ratings. Around 2.1 million people were called to vote - there are fewer eligible voters in the federal state than in the capital Berlin.
Difficult government formation
Before the election, Woidke had announced that he only wanted to remain in government if the SPD became the strongest party - he has now achieved this. However, according to projections, a continuation of the coalition of SPD, CDU and Greens, which has governed since 2019, is not possible. A two-party coalition of SPD and BSW or a three-party alliance of SPD, CDU and BSW would be conceivable.
Woidke's SPD had made significant gains in the polls immediately before the election. "We have made up ground like never before in the history of our country," he said with regard to the AfD. As so often in history, it was social democrats "who stopped extremists on their way to power". Woidke announced that he would probably first talk to the CDU about forming a governing coalition.
The Secretary General of the federal CDU, Carsten Linnemann, spoke of a "bitter defeat". Woidke had put all his eggs in one basket with his threat to resign - and won. "This is what credibility looks like." CDU top candidate Jan Redmann does not want to resign from the state chairmanship after the election defeat. "That would send out the wrong signal," he said.
Left Party lead candidate Sebastian Walter called his party's result "disastrous". Many people had voted SPD - "but not out of conviction". The reason, in his view, was the "panic campaign of the Minister President" against the AfD.
No party wants to govern with AfD
Despite its good results, the AfD has no prospect of participating in government: No other party wants to work with it. Federal party leader Tino Chrupalla said that the goal of "sending Woidke into retirement" had been missed.
However, the East German elections in Thuringia, Saxony and now Brandenburg were successful: "We won gold once and silver twice."
The Central Council of Jews expressed its concern. "If almost a third of voters once again want to see a destructive political party such as the AfD in power and a populist force such as the BSW once again reaches double figures, then we must not remain unaffected," said Central Council President Josef Schuster.
According to projections, AfD wins blocking minority in state parliament
According to projections by ARD and ZDF, the AfD is likely to win more than a third of the seats in the state parliament, giving it a so-called blocking minority. This would allow it to block decisions and elections in the state parliament that require a two-thirds majority, for example the election of constitutional judges. Constitutional amendments are also only possible with such a qualified majority. Three weeks ago, the AfD had already won a blocking minority in the state elections in Thuringia.
©Keystone/SDA
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