The German state of Brandenburg will hold state elections on September 22, with a significant political shift underway. According to the latest survey conducted by the opinion research institute INSA, the right-populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to be the strongest party, with 24 percent of the vote. The left-populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is also rapidly gaining strength, and is now nearly on par with the establishment right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the leftist Social Democrats (SPD).
The survey indicates that the BSW has surged to 17 percent support in the polls. The party was launched earlier this year by Sahra Wagenknecht, formerly of the Left (Die Left) party. Like the AfD, it is highly critical of mass migration. BSW also rejects net zero policies and wants to halt weapons shipments to Ukraine.
The governing SPD, under Brandenburg Minister President Dietmar Woidke, is currently polling at 19 percent, down from 26.2 percent in the previous state election. Many other parties on the left of the political spectrum have also seen decreases in popularity.
The rise in popularity of populist parties is a trend seen across Europe, including France, where Marine Le Pen’s National Rally nearly doubled their seats in the French parliament earlier this month.
