By Sarah Marsh BERLIN (Reuters) -Polls opened on Sunday in the German state of Brandenburg, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to finish first, aiming to build on recent successes in other eastern states and surpass Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in this traditional stronghold.

The results will come as a relief to the party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which is set to finish first and gain seats.

The far right AfD party lost the Brandenburg election in east Germany by the narrowest of margins—29.2 percent to the SPD's 31.8 percent

Germans in the state of Brandenburg were voting in a regional election on Sunday with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) expected to finish first, building on successes in other eastern states and beating Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in one of their traditional strongholds.

Germany has avoided having a far-right party as the strongest force in a second state on Sunday, just weeks the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) became the first far-right party in post-war history to win an election.

First projections in state elections in the eastern German state of Brandenburg give the Social Democrats a slim lead over the far-right AfD in the race to be the largest party. Follow DW for more.