AfD lead fuels migrant fears ahead of German state vote

BERLIN

Posters featuring election campaign ads for (top to bottom) the Left Party's (Die Linke), the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and BSW's (Buendnis Sahra Wagenknecht) party are pictured in Magdeburg, eastern Germany on Sept. 4, 2026. (AFP)

Migrants in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state are considering leaving as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leads polls ahead of the Sept. 6 election, with a chance to form its first state government.

A recent survey suggested that as many as 80 percent of people with migrant backgrounds were considering moving away, Magdeburg integration council head Ketevan Asatiani-Hermann told the Guardian.

The AfD’s election manifesto proposes separate schooling for refugee children and diverting integration funds to a unit responsible for “remigration.” It also calls on federal authorities to stop recognizing Ukrainians as war refugees.

Recent polls put the party at 41 to 43 percent. Whether it can secure a majority of seats depends partly on how many smaller parties clear the 5 percent electoral threshold.

Other parties have maintained a political “firewall” against governing with the AfD. The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) could need support from the Left party to keep it out of power, despite also ruling out a coalition with the Left.

The possibility of migrants leaving has raised concerns about staffing in a state with an aging population. Foreign nationals account for about 9 percent of residents and play an important role in hospitality, elderly care and health services.

They make up 27.1 percent of hospital doctors. The state’s medical associations have warned that many areas, particularly rural communities, could not maintain health care services without foreign colleagues.

Migrant groups reported an increase in racist abuse following the December 2024 attack on Magdeburg’s Christmas market, which killed six people and injured hundreds. Right-wing groups blamed migrants and minorities, although authorities described the attacker as an anti-Islam activist sympathetic to the far right.

Kirti, a 27-year-old Indian student, told the Guardian that he had faced verbal harassment and offensive gestures in the street, leaving him afraid to go out.

Fatemeh, 44, fled Iran with her son following protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. Their asylum application remains unresolved, and she fears that an AfD government could send them back.

“As a converted Christian, that could mean the death penalty for me,” she told the Guardian.