German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) looked set to fend off the far right in a state election in Brandenburg on Sunday after trailing behind the Alternative for Germany (AfD) throughout the campaign,

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.

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.

Shares of Commerzbank traded 3.1% lower on Monday after the government said that it would retain its 12% stake in the German bank for now in a move that will likely keep any merger with Italy's UniCredit on hold.

By Tom Sims FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Shares of Commerzbank and UniCredit fell on Monday after the German government said that it would retain its 12% stake in the German bank for now in a move that will likely keep any merger with the Italian lender on hold.

Commerzbank AG dropped after Germany said it won’t sell any more shares in the lender, a move signaling its opposition to any takeover by Italian rival UniCredit SpA.