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.

The SPD won 30.9% of the vote, while the AfD came second with 29.2% - The Bundesrat (BSW) and the Christian Democrats are the other two parties entering parliament

The results will come as a relief to the party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which is set to finish first and gain seats.