District election
Non-party wins in Brandenburg – AfD candidate loses
The independent candidate Sven Herzberger wins the district election in the Dahme-Spreewald district. photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
As close as the first round of voting for the district office in Dahme-Spreewald was, the result of the runoff election was just as clear. Sven Herzberger is far ahead of the AfD candidate.
The AfD candidate Steffen Kotré got 35.2 percent. In the first round of voting, AfD member of the Bundestag Kotré was just ahead of Zeuthen Mayor Herzberger. The district is considered a boom region and BER Airport is also located there.
In the runoff election, Herzberger was supported by all parties except the AfD. Voter turnout was 47.9 percent, slightly lower than in the first round. The Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the AfD state association as a suspected right-wing extremist case since 2020.
In the Sonneberg district in Thuringia, the AfD has appointed its first district administrator in Germany this year. In the Dahme-Spreewald district, the previous district administrator Stephan Loge (SPD) is leaving office after 16 years. The district with the BER airport is considered a boom region.