Far-right election win leaves migrants questioning their future in eastern Germany
The rise of the far-right AfD party in eastern Germany has created significant anxiety among migrant communities. Many individuals who have built lives in Germany now report feeling unwelcome and unsafe due to shifting political sentiments.
Why it matters
It illustrates the real-world impact of rising nationalist politics on immigrant integration and social cohesion in Europe.
Ever since the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won a regional election last month, not a day goes by without Ola Akhras and her husband discussing whether they should go back to Syria.
The couple live with their two young daughters in Magdeburg, where Saxony-Anhalt's newly elected State legislature was set to meet on Tuesday (October 6, 2026), for the first time since the AfD surged to its best result yet, putting it in a strong position to form Germany's first far-right regional government since the Second World War.
During its first sitting, the 83-seat legislature will elect its Speaker, a post that traditionally goes to the largest party, and the AfD hopes for an initial symbolic victory. The State's next Governor is unlikely to be chosen before December 2026.
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