Far-right AfD expects victory in Brandenburg as “clear sign of hope”

September 22 () –

Hans-Christoph Berndt, the candidate of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the government of the state of Brandenburg, cast his vote on Sunday in the regional elections, in which he hopes a victory for his party would be a “clear sign of hope.”

“Things will get better in Germany” if the AfD continues to gain strength, Berndt said from Golssen-Zützen in the Dahme-Spreewald district, according to German public television ARD.

Polls show the AfD neck and neck with the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which has so far governed the region with Dietmar Woidke at its head. Woidke himself voted in Forst, in the Spree Neisse constituency. Woidke won comfortably in 2019 with 36.2 percent of the vote, but could be defeated by the AfD list this time. In fact, Woidke has promised that he will only remain in government if the SPD wins the election.

The SPD leader stressed that they have undertaken this campaign “with greater determination” because they know that “there is a lot at stake” after the good results of the AfD in other states in eastern Germany. He also rejected the idea that these elections are a plebiscite on the “traffic light” coalition that governs at the federal level: “I do not think that this benefits them. They are underestimating the intelligence of the people of Brandenburg. It is about stability in this state and a state government that will work for five years,” he argued.

Federal Foreign Minister and Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock also voted, saying there would be a high turnout because “there is a lot at stake.” Polls put the Greens on the verge of the 4 percent vote needed to enter parliament. The Greens are participating alongside the SPD and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state coalition government in Brandenburg.

The latest poll shows the AfD with 28 percent of the votes, followed closely by the SPD with 25 percent. Right behind is the CDU, which is expected to win 16 percent of the votes, according to INSA data.

Polls put the Sahra Wagenknecht-For Reason and Justice Alliance (BSW) in fourth place, close behind the CDU, with 14 percent of the vote.