AfD candidates lose district administrator run-offs in Germany

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has fallen short in its bid to secure district administrator positions in two key run-off elections held in Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. The party experienced significant defeats in both Saalekreis and Ostprignitz-Ruppin districts.

In the Saalekreis district of Saxony-Anhalt, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate, Uwe Czekalla, emerged victorious, capturing 54.34% of the vote. His opponent from the AfD, Uwe Arendt, garnered 45.66% of the ballots cast.

The electoral outcome in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district of Brandenburg was even more decisive. Ralf Reinhardt of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) was re-elected as district administrator, securing a substantial 60.6% of the vote. The AfD candidate, Torsten Arndt, received 39.4%.

The voter turnout for these run-off elections was reported at 46.0%. Incumbent Reinhardt is now embarking on his third term, having led in the initial round of voting. Arndt, a member of the AfD in the Brandenburg state parliament, had advanced to the run-off with 30.3% of the vote.