German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats will seek coalition talks with upstart left party BSW, as working with the far-right runner-up AfD has been ruled out.
SPD state premier Dietmar Woidke defended his campaign’s efforts, saying it had been a “hard fight” that had begun more than 12 months ago to win the regional election in Brandenburg.
“From the very beginning we were the only political force in Brandenburg that wanted to win against the AfD,” Woidke said, adding that this determination was likely what helped them celebrate a win on Sunday night.
The veteran Social Democrat politician pointed out that his campaign was mocked for taking on the fight to the AfD.
“Others did not trust this, instead tried to fight for second place, but i think that what this election result also shows is that the people of Brandenburg do not want to have anything to do with those who are extremists, who have no solutions for our country, who instead want to divide our society,” Woidke said in allusion to the far-right AfD.
Woidke also attributed his win to his government’s work and the good results it had produced for the people of Brandenburg, particularly in the economy.
Going forward, Woidke said the next step was to explore how to build a government, mentioning both the BSW and the CDU as potential partners.
“My goal is clear. It is to have a stable government that continues to ensure that in the future Brandenburg can make good progress and that its people can live better, step by step.”