The exit poll shows that in Brandenburg, which borders Poland, the SPD will maintain its advantage in the regional parliament, slightly ahead of the AfD. At the same time, the region's premier, Dietmar Woidke from the SPD, warned against premature euphoria, noting that according to initial forecasts, the Greens are hovering on the edge of the electoral threshold. And their presence in parliament will determine whether the coalition of the SPD, Christian Democrats and the Greens will continue to exercise power in the region.
According to the first forecast by Infratest dimap prepared for the broadcaster ARD, the Brandenburg state parliament elections were won by SPDreceiving 31 percent of the votes. AfD came in right behind the Social Democrats (30 percent). Sahra Wagenknecht's Left Alliance (BSW) won 12 percent, and the Christian Democrat CDU won 11.9 percent. The Greens received 5 percent of the votes. The remaining parties did not cross the electoral threshold – the Left Party (3.1 percent) and the Brandenburg United Civic Movements/Free Voters (2.6 percent). Other groups received 4.3 percent of the voters. According to the forecast, the SPD will introduce the most members to the Brandenburg parliament, which has 88 members – 30. AfD will have one fewer member – 29. CDU and BSW will receive 12 seats each. The Greens are entitled to 5 seats.
Commenting on the first post-election forecasts, the region's premier, Dietmar Woidke (SPD), assessed that “it was hard work”. In his opinion, it looks like “once again the Social Democrats have stopped the extremists on their path to power”.
Woidke warned against premature euphoria, noting that according to initial forecasts, the Greens are hovering on the edge of the electoral threshold. Their presence in the Brandenburg parliament will determine whether the coalition of the SPD, the Christian Democrats and the Greens will continue to exercise power in the region. The Brandenburg premier announced the first talks with the Christian Democrats on Sunday evening on ARD television about a possible coalition.
Voting – Rules
Voting began at 8 a.m. and lasted until 6 p.m. There are 88 seats to fill in the Brandenburg parliament (additional seats, so-called surplus and equalizing seats, are also possible). In 44 electoral districts in Brandenburg, those eligible to participate in the elections cast two votes. With the first, they chose a specific candidate from their district, and with the second vote they cast for the state list of a given party.
In the state parliament, half of the seats go to the candidates with the most direct votes, while the remaining seats go to the winning candidates from the party lists. There are 494 candidates running for seats in the Brandenburg state parliament. 14 parties and coalitions have registered for the elections.
Brandenburg. Regional parliament electionsFabian Sommer/dpa/PAP
The victory of extreme groups in regional elections could change the politics of the whole of GermanyJakub Loska/Facts about the World TVN24 BiS
SPD Bastion
Brandenburg, with a population of over 2 million and its capital in Potsdam, borders Poland to the east. It is referred to as an SPD stronghold because the Social Democrats have won every state election there since reunification. German in 1990. The portal tagesschau recalled on Friday that Brandenburg has been governed by the SPD for 34 years – with changing coalition partners.
Since 2019, the state has been governed by the so-called red-black-green coalition, whose name reflects the parties in government: the SPD, the Christian Democrats and the Greens. Since 2013, the state's prime minister has been Dietmar Woidke (SPD).
Woidke announced that if the SPD is defeated in Sunday's elections, he will resign as prime minister.
Main image source: Fabian Sommer/dpa/PAP