German parties react to Brandenburg regional election exit polls

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats narrowly beat the far-right AfD in a state election Sunday in the formerly communist east. Scholz'scentre-left SPD won around 31 percent in the state of Brandenburg.

The result offers a rare moment of respite for Scholz's embattled coalition government, which has sunk in opinion polls a year ahead of national elections.The vote in Brandenburg has been closely watched because Scholz's SPD has ruled there ever since Germany's 1990 reunification. The chancellor's own electoral district is in the state capital Potsdam, outside Berlin.