In the Brandenburg state elections, projections show the Social Democrats (SPD) leading narrowly with 30.7% over the far-right AfD at 29.5%. Voter turnout was significantly higher at 73%. The new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) surpassed the Christian Democrats (CDU) for third place. Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed satisfaction with the results but noted that SPD’s state premier Dietmar Woidke distanced himself from Scholz due to the chancellor’s low popularity. The election is seen as a key indicator ahead of next year’s federal elections.