BERLIN -- A state election is taking place in Brandenburg on Sunday, three weeks after a far-right party made gains in two other states in eastern Germany.

Approximately 2.1 million individuals are eligible to cast their ballots for a new state parliament in Brandenburg, the state that encircles Berlin, the German capital.

Sunday's election is being closely observed for indications of the country's political trajectory.

Recent polls indicate that the far-right Alternative for Germany is in a tight race with the Social Democrats, the party that has consistently governed Brandenburg since the reunification of Germany in 1990.

The Social Democrats, the dominant party in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition government, are striving to maintain control of their stronghold amidst rising support for parties on the extreme right and left.

If the Social Democrats experience a loss in Brandenburg, it would be seen as a negative sign for Scholz a year ahead of the federal election scheduled for Sept. 28, 2025. Scholz resides in Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, and German political analysts believe the chancellor's political future will be heavily influenced by the results of Sunday's vote in Brandenburg.

The political future of Brandenburg's governor, Dietmar Woidke, is uncertain. He has made it his objective for his Social Democrats to outmaneuver Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and has pledged to step down if the AfD emerges victorious.

“If I lose against the AfD, I am gone,” Woidke said.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured the most votes in the Thuringia state election and performed well in the Saxony election on Sept. 1. A new political party established by a prominent leftist figure also made a significant impact, while the parties within Scholz's unpopular national government achieved very poor results.

This marked the first time the far right had won an election in Germany since World War II, delivering a substantial setback to Scholz's centrist coalition. The outcome has also sparked concerns both within Germany and internationally about the growing support for extreme right-wing ideologies in the largest European Union country, which is also a member of NATO.

The far-right party's gains have been fueled by rising dissatisfaction with large-scale migration to Germany over the past decade and several recent extremist attacks. Germany's once-powerful economy has been weakening, contributing to a general sense of unease.

Sunday's vote follows a heated election campaign focused on the issues of migration, internal security, and peace. Both the far right and the new leftist movement, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance , or BSW, advocate for ending weapons shipments to Kyiv as Ukraine defends itself against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Even if the Alternative for Germany is victorious in Brandenburg, it is unlikely to form a government because other parties have declined to cooperate with them.