Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz narrowly avoided a far-right victory in his home state of Brandenburg, as exit polls indicated his Social Democratic Party (SPD) won the regional election by a slim margin. The SPD secured 31-32% of the vote, just ahead of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) at 29-30%. An AfD win would have been a significant setback for Scholz, who faces declining polls and coalition infighting. The election was closely watched after the AfD’s recent successes in Thuringia and Saxony. Scholz has urged other parties to block the AfD from gaining power.