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.

Social Democrats came in first with 30.9%, just ahead of the far-right AfD's 29.2% SPD will seek talks with the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht alliance party, which came in third Brandenburg's election had record-high voter turnout.

The Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz have won an election in the eastern German state of Brandenburg. They gained a narrow edge over a growing far-right party.