AfD victory unsettles Turkish community in Saxony-Anhalt
Business owners are weighing their future after the AfD won 43.8% of the vote, while community representatives warn of risks to democratic stability and nationalist violence.
The Alternative for Germany’s 43.8% result in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election has prompted concern among people of Turkish origin, with some business owners considering whether to leave the state or Germany.
Gökay Sofuoglu, co-chair of the Turkish Community in Germany, told Deutsche Welle that some business owners had initially discussed closing their businesses and leaving. They are now waiting for a government to be formed before deciding what to do.
Sofuoglu described the AfD’s rise as a broader concern for Germany, saying it posed a threat to democratic stability. He also warned of fears that nationalist violence could increase, including attacks resembling those carried out by the National Socialist Underground.
Other voices urged a focus on the conditions behind the result. Alaz Sümer, a Berlin-based lawyer working with a nongovernmental organisation, said established parties had not sufficiently addressed the problems that allowed the AfD to gain such strong support.
Irmak, a student who asked not to use her real name, said the result was worrying but foreseeable after government policies failed to address citizens’ needs. She argued that a change of government would not remove the need for workers and young people in a state with an ageing population.
Saxony-Anhalt had about 2.1 million residents in 2025, including around 249,000 people with a migration background and 6,120 people of Turkish origin. Germany has roughly 3 million people of Turkish origin.
