Bremen election may boost Scholz's slumping Social Democrats

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech, as he campaigns for the re-election of fellow Social Democrat (SPD) Andreas Bovenschulte as Bremen state premier in Sunday's election, as Bremen state premier Bovenschulte and federal state Premier of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil stand, in Bremen, Germany, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats are on track to win an election in Germany's smallest state, the city of Bremen, on Sunday, a vote that could give a modest lift to the centre-left party that has slumped to around 20% in national opinion polls.

Bremen is not deemed a political bellwether for other parts of Germany given its specific characteristics as an industrial port city and its small size - it has just 570,000 inhabitants. By contrast, the states of Bavaria and Hesse, which will hold elections in October, together comprise nearly a quarter of Germany's population of 83.2 million.