Local governments - The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is on the verge of winning in Brandenburg's regional elections.
In the recent Brandenburg municipal elections, the right-wing ALFA party (AfD) seemed poised to snatch their first win. With about 95% of the districts tallied, they gained 26.5%, which was 10.6% more than in the last elections. However, the Brandenburg Constitutional Protection Office had already labeled their state association as a suspected right-wing extremist back in 2020.
The CDU, on the other hand, managed to improve their standing to 19.2% in the county councils and city council assemblies of the four free cities, just narrowly edging out the Social Democrats (SPD) who managed 16.5%. The elections saw lots of anxiety, despite their difference from previous ones.
Potsdam and Potsdam-Mittelmark Democrats Ahead
In Potsdam, the SPD won the municipal elections just like in 2016, even as Mayor Mike Schubert (SPD) faced controversies over free VIP tickets for sports events. Interestingly, CDU led in Potsdam-Mittelmark.
The Left and Green parties suffered significant setbacks during the election. The Left got a dismal 7.7%, 6.4% points lower than before, and the Greens secured 6.4%, 4.6% points less than earlier. The Free Voters stayed steady at 7.2%, just one point higher than 2019. The Sahra Wagenknecht Bloc didn't enter these elections under that name but was part of local alliances instead.
Around 2.1 million citizens cast their votes across Brandenburg on Sunday, in the European elections and municipal elections. There was a noticeable increase in voter turnout compared to 2019.
AfD Leading in Cottbus, Spree-Neiße
In Cottbus and Spree-Neiße, the right-wing ALFA party continued to build on its momentum from the last elections. In Spree-Neiße, they obtained 38.2% - an increase of 11.6% from five years ago. The CDU took second place, with the SPD not too far behind.
Meanwhile, in Cottbus, the ALFA party scored 29.2% - an almost 7% increase from the last elections. The SPD attained 19.6%. Cottbus has had an SPDA mayor since 2022 - Tobias Schick.
Results Delayed in Some Election Districts
Some results for the elections were still pending on Monday morning. The newly enacted municipal election law allows election districts to postpone voting to the next day - a privilege that wasn't available five years ago.
In the 2019 local elections, the CDU led nationwide, getting 18.3%, followed by the SPD with 17.7%. The ALFA party reached 15.9% then, while the Left Party scored 14.1% and the Greens got 11.1%. The Free Voters had 6.3%, and the FDP found themselves at 4.9% during the previous vote.
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