By Thomas Escritt BERLIN (Reuters) -After coming second in the Brandenburg state vote on Sunday and winning the Thuringia state election this month, Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party now commands a blocking minority in two regions.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD party narrowly beat the far-right Alternative for Germany in the Brandenburg election, which was seen as a referendum for him.

Germany's Social Democrats won in the eastern state of Brandenburg, pushing out the far-right AfD in a tightly contested race.

The narrow win by Olaf Scholz’s party came in a state election, the third in a series that was seen as a reflection of the national mood and a snapshot of the government’s popularity.

The Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz have won an election in the eastern German state of Brandenburg. They gained a narrow edge over a growing far-right party.

The SPD, which has governed the state surrounding the capital Berlin since reunification in 1990, scored 30.9% of the vote, ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany on 29.2%, according to provisional official results.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is predicted to come first in an election in Brandenburg on Sunday, seeking to build on gains in other eastern states this month and beat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in a traditional stronghold.

Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats held off the far-right Alternative for Germany and look set to cling on to power in the eastern state of Brandenburg, sparing the chancellor and his party another embarrassing electoral setback.

Following AfD’s victory in Thuringia, race in one of smallest German states in terms of population becomes focus of attention