Turkish Community on Alert as AfD Scores Decisive Victory in Saxony-Anhalt

The AfD’s capture of 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election has triggered alarm across the country, with Germans of Turkish origin among the most concerned.

Gökay Sofuoglu, co-chair of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), told DW that business owners he has spoken with in Saxony-Anhalt have been particularly shaken. “Following the AfD’s success, some considered closing their businesses and leaving — first Saxony-Anhalt, then Germany,” Sofuoglu said.

He noted, however, that the initial reaction was largely emotional. “We’ve had a chance to speak to some of them again since,” Sofuoglu said. “They are going to wait and see — they are waiting for the formation of a government.”

‘A Problem for Germany as a Whole’

Sofuoglu said that people of Turkish descent in Saxony-Anhalt view the AfD’s rise “as a problem for Germany as a whole.” He described the party’s electoral victory as a threat to the stability of German democracy.

Although the AfD campaigns heavily against migration, Sofuoglu believes the party’s true target is Germany’s constitution. He said many people of Turkish origin tend to see the party’s victory as an immediate threat to their communities rather than focusing on the AfD’s broader agenda.

“As much as the rise of the AfD affects us, this is a generally anti-democratic development, and we, along with all democratic forces, must act to counter it,” he said.

The AfD’s victory has also stoked fears of a rise in nationalist violence within Germany. “There is a fear that the coming days could see more attacks like those carried out by the National Socialist Underground, and that there will be no clarification of what is behind them,” Sofuoglu said, referring to the neo-Nazi terror spree that plagued Germany for years.

Getting to the Root

A potential increase in nationalist violence is only one part of the discussion. “I don’t think that just being concerned achieves anything,” Alaz Sümer, a lawyer working with a nongovernmental organization in Berlin, told DW. “You have to think about the causes. I don’t think the established parties have sufficiently addressed the problems that allowed the AfD to become so strong.”

Sümer came to Germany nine years ago to study. He is currently working on a PhD focused on extreme-right political parties and advises people from migrant communities on how to get their international qualifications recognized in Germany.

“Saying ‘the AfD is bad, the AfD is dangerous’ is the easy way,” Sümer said. “We already know that.”

No Surprise

Irmak, who asked that her real name not be used, moved to the eastern city of Leipzig to study 12 years ago. She said the AfD’s victory was worrying, but not unexpected.

“It was to be predicted that the far right would do well and would emerge from the election as the strongest party,” Irmak said. “But the ground for this result was also prepared by government policies that failed to address citizens’ needs.”

Irmak said the rise of the AfD would not solve Germany’s structural problems. “Even with a change of government, it won’t alter the need for workers and young people,” she said, “especially not in a state with an elderly population like Saxony-Anhalt.”

An AfD Ban?

Sümer said German authorities would need to be cautious in dealing with the AfD, which he called an extremist party that is now “a reality in Germany.” He said banning the AfD, as many have called for, would only make the party stronger.

If the AfD were banned, Sümer said, a new party would be founded, and more extremist members might gravitate toward less-visible organizations. That, he said, would make Germany “even more uninhabitable” for migrants.

Sümer said Germany’s other parties should engage with AfD voters to understand their motives. He said the problem of racism in Germany is bigger than just the AfD, and that the issues migrants face within the country were not created by the party.

According to the Federal Statistical Office, Saxony-Anhalt had a population of about 2.1 million people in 2025. Approximately 249,000, or just over 10%, had a migration background; 6,120 were people of Turkish origin. There are roughly 3 million people of Turkish origin in Germany.

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