SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert underscored the local vote’s impact on the national level, warning that it could determine whether Scholz has the strong SPD-led states to implement his plans for Germany.
Any upset risks changing the balance of power in the Bundesrat, the upper house of the federal parliament, which represents the regional states.
“A lot has changed since the vote in 2021, which is an unusual contest,” said Thorsten Faas, professor of political science at Frei University of Berlin.
He told AFP that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had changed the political landscape and the timing of Sunday’s polling – no longer falling on the same day as federal elections – meant turnout was likely to be low.