Germany's far-right AfD on track for another state election win
Brandenburg holds election a year before federal vote
Eastern state is traditional stronghold of Scholz's SPD
AfD win could heap pressure on Scholz over second term
By Sarah Marsh
BERLIN, Sept 22 (Reuters) -The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is predicted to come first in an election in Brandenburg on Sunday, seeking to build on gains in other eastern states this month and beat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in a traditional stronghold.
The AfD became the first far-right party to win a state election in Germany since World War Two, in Thuringia, on Sept. 1 and just missed first place in Saxony.
It is one of several far-right groups in Europe capitalising on worries over an economic slowdown, immigration and the Ukraine war - concerns that are particularly strong in formerly Communist-run eastern Germany.
The party, which is unlikely to be able to govern because it is polling short of a majority and other parties would refuse to work with it, is also seeking to gain from discontent over infighting in Scholz's three-party federal coalition.
"We urgently need a thorough course correction so the country does not go to the dogs," the AfD's lead candidate in Brandenburg, Hans-Christoph Berndt, said at a campaign event earlier this month.
An AfD victory in the state election would be a particular embarrassment for the Social Democrats (SPD), which has won elections in Brandenburg and governed the state of 2.5 million people since reunification in 1990.
It would also raise further questions about the suitability of Scholz, the least popular German chancellor on record, to lead the party into next year's election.
Brandenburg's popular SPD premier Dietmar Woidke has mostly shunned campaigning with Scholz, who lives in the state's capital, Potsdam. In an unusual move, Woidke has also criticised the behaviour and policies of the ruling coalition.
Instead, he has sought to highlight economic success stories during the five years since the last state election such as the opening of a Tesla TSLA.O factory and Brandenburg airport - which serves Berlin and is now Germany's third most important aviation hub.
NARROW THE GAP
In recent weeks, the SPD has managed to narrow the gap with the AfD, opinion polls have shown.
A poll published by pollster Forschungsgruppe Wahlen on Thursday put the AfD on 28% in Brandenburg with the SPD just one point behind on 27%, followed by the conservatives on 14% and the new leftist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) on 13%.
"My greatest challenge in this legislative period ... to not allow right-wing extremists to have anything to say in this country ever again," Woidke said at a campaign event on Tuesday.
He has threatened to resign if his party comes in behind the AfD. AfD party leader Tino Chrupalla said Scholz should do the same.
"It is high time this government suffer the consequences after this state election," Chrupalla said.
Both of Scholz's junior coalition partners, the Free Democrats and the Greens, look set to struggle to win the 5% needed to enter the state parliament, polls show.
At a national level, the three parties in Scholz's coalition are now collectively polling less than the opposition conservatives although political analysts say much could change before the federal election due in September 2025.
Reporting by Sarah Marsh;
Editing by Helen Popper
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
