Turkish community alarmed by AfD victory in Saxony‑Anhalt

September 11, 2026 — The success of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Saxony‑Anhalt state election has unsettled people of Turkish origin across Germany, community leaders say, even as many remain convinced that the country still needs foreign labor despite a right‑wing shift.

Community leaders report fear and calls for dialogue

Gökay Sofuoglu, co‑chair of the Turkish Community in Germany (Türkische Gemeinde in Deutschland), described conversations with shop owners in Saxony‑Anhalt who reacted to AfD’s surge with alarm. “Some after the success of the AfD thought about closing their businesses and leaving first Saxony‑Anhalt, and then Germany,” he said.

While he called many of those reactions “emotional” — few are likely to abandon their livelihoods overnight — Sofuoglu said community members are waiting to see how a new government will take shape before making decisions. “They are waiting, that is, waiting for a new government to be formed,” he added.

For people of Turkish descent in the state, AfD’s rise is being viewed “as a problem for all of Germany,” Sofuoglu warned, stressing that the trend should be seen not only from migrants’ perspective but also as a challenge to German democracy and future stability.

Lawyer and migration expert Alaz Zimer urged action beyond expressions of worry. “I do not believe that concern alone will achieve anything. We must think about the causes,” he said, arguing that established parties had not addressed the issues that allowed AfD to strengthen so much.

Irmak Bozturk — a pseudonym used at her request — said AfD’s strong result was worrying but not surprising. “It was to be expected that right‑wing extremists would achieve a high result and become the strongest party in the elections. But government policies that are distant from citizens also contributed to this outcome,” she said. She added that even a change of government would not remove the need for workforce and young people, especially in an aging state like Saxony‑Anhalt.

On the question of banning AfD, Zimer advised caution: banning the party could strengthen the movement through new formations or push forces underground, making Germany “even less livable” for migrants, he argued. He recommended engaging with AfD voters to understand their motives rather than only isolating them.

Official statistics underline the local scale: Saxony‑Anhalt, with about two million inhabitants, counted roughly 249,000 people with a migration background in 2025, of whom 6,120 were of Turkish origin. National estimates put the number of people of Turkish origin in Germany between three and four million.

Photo: на АфД во 2017 година пишува: