Germans in the state of Brandenburg were voting in a regional election on Sunday with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) expected to finish first, building on successes in other eastern states and beating Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in one of their traditional strongholds.

An exit poll released after voting ended in a state election in Brandenburg, Germany on Sunday showed the Social Democrats with a slight edge over a growing right-wing party. The voting took place three weeks after the party made gains in two other states in eastern Germany.

Brandenburg is a longstanding stronghold for the party. But it is located in Germany’s relatively impoverished east, where the anti-immigrant A f D performs far better than in the west. That made this election a test of whether the SPD could beat the populists on its home ground.

Scholz's Social Democrats celebrate likely winover far right in German state vote:: Potsdam, Germany:::: Dietmar Woidke, Social Democrat, Brandenburg State Premier“When an openly, in big parts and overall openly right-wing extremist party in our state scores around 30% of votes,

A state election is taking place in Brandenburg three weeks after a far-right party made gains in two other states in eastern Germany

An exit poll for Brandenburg state's election showed the Social Democrats narrowly leading over the far-right Alternative for Germany. Around 2.1 million people voted amid concerns about the political direction of Germany.

Germans in the state of Brandenburg were voting in a regional election on Sunday with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) expected to finish first, building on successes in other eastern states and beating Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in one of their traditional strongholds.

An exit poll shows Germany’s Social Democrats with a slight edge over a far-right party in a state election in Brandenburg

The narrow win by Olaf Scholz’s party came in a state election, the third in a series that was seen as a reflection of the national mood and a snapshot of the government’s popularity.

Following AfD’s victory in Thuringia, race in one of smallest German states in terms of population becomes focus of attention