Voters in Hamburg are heading to the polls on Sunday, where the Social Democrats (SPD) hope to bounce back from a major defeat in national elections just a week ago. The SPD currently governs the city in a coalition with the Greens.

Polls will be open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm local time, marking the only state-level election in Germany this year. The focus is on how the outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD will perform after their worst result in federal elections. The conservative bloc led in last week’s elections, with Scholz’s SPD coming in third place.

Polls predict that the SPD will win in their traditional stronghold, with pre-election predictions showing a majority for Social Democrat Mayor Peter Tschentscher and the Greens’ coalition. Tschentscher stated that he is optimistic about the SPD’s ability to improve their poor national result, citing the long-standing support for his party in Hamburg.

Research by the polling group Forschungsgruppe Wahlen states that the SPD is predicted to win 33% of the vote, with the CDU at 18% and the Greens at 17%. The Left, which saw a surprise result in last week’s national election, is predicted to improve to 12%, and the far-right AfD is expected to win 9%. At least 121 seats are up for grabs in the regional parliament, and parties need at least 5% of the vote to enter parliament.

Unlike federal elections, all citizens of Hamburg with German citizenship will be eligible to vote from the age of 16. The election results will likely impact the political landscape in Hamburg and could influence future national elections.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-spd-eye-victory-in-hamburg-state-election/a-71796487?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf