BERLIN, 08 Sept. - (ANA) - The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, winning 44.5% of the vote and more than doubling its 20.8% result in 2021.

 

For Muslim, Syrian, Palestinian and other migrant communities, the result brings some of Germany's most openly exclusionary rhetoric on Islam, migration and national identity closer to executive power in a German state.

 

Nazih Musharbash, president of the German-Palestinian Society, told The New Arab that the result would deepen concerns among Palestinians, Muslims and Arabic-speaking communities.

 

"The AfD's electoral success as a whole poses a danger to democracy in Germany. The AfD will not refrain from further suspicion, racist populist prejudgements and blanket accusations against Palestinians, Muslims and Arabic-speaking people living in Germany," Musharbash said.

 

"This party is fundamentally hostile towards foreigners and will make life more difficult and more dangerous for Palestinian-German people."

 

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was projected to win 18.5%, down from 37.1% in 2021, marking a major setback in a state it has governed since 2002.

 

It remained unclear whether the AfD's result would be enough for it to form a government. Germany's other major parties have ruled out joining an AfD-led coalition under the country's longstanding political "firewall", meaning the party would probably need to secure a majority of seats in the state parliament to govern alone.

 

An AfD-led government would be the first far-right state administration in Germany since the Nazi era.

 

The AfD's Saxony-Anhalt branch has been classified as right-wing extremist by the state's domestic intelligence agency.

 

Even if it falls short of an outright parliamentary majority, the scale of the result is likely to give the party greater influence over political debate, particularly on immigration, asylum, Islam and national identity.

 

The AfD has long insisted that "Islam does not belong to Germany". Its Saxony-Anhalt programme goes further, declaring that "Islam belongs neither to Germany nor to Saxony-Anhalt".

 

The party distinguishes between Muslims it says accept Germany's constitutional order and "political Islam" or "Islamism".

 

However, its programme also proposes restrictions affecting visible Islamic religious life, including opposition to the call to prayer, restrictions related to mosque construction and an end to Islamic religious instruction in schools. It also calls for university chairs in Islamic theology to be replaced with non-confessional Islamic studies.

 

Germany's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, meaning some proposals could face significant legal and constitutional hurdles.

 

State governments nevertheless have influence over areas including education, integration programmes, policing, funding and public administration.

 

 

 

 

For Syrian refugees and others who arrived in Germany during or after the 2015 refugee influx, the AfD's advocacy of "remigration" has drawn particular concern.

 

The term has become increasingly prominent in the party's political programme. AfD figures have used it to advocate the departure or removal of people without a right to remain, while critics have warned that the concept can extend to a broader politics of exclusion targeting people with migrant backgrounds.

 

Musharbash told The New Arab that the AfD's advocacy of remigration "expresses the view that people with a migration background are fundamentally unwanted and, if necessary, should be sent back to their countries of origin".

 

"The political dimension has long gone beyond mere anti-foreigner rhetoric," he added.

 

In Saxony-Anhalt, the party has campaigned for stronger deportation enforcement and proposed establishing a specialised deportation task force.

 

Germany is home to about 1.28 million people with a Syrian refugee or migrant background, including roughly 936,000 Syrian nationals at the end of 2025, making it home to Europe's largest Syrian-origin population.

 

Much of Germany's asylum and immigration policy is governed at federal or European level, meaning a state government could not simply abolish asylum rights or deport people who are legally protected.

 

States nevertheless play an important role in administering asylum systems, overseeing accommodation, implementing deportation orders, funding integration programmes and shaping education and access to local services.

 

The AfD's state programme also proposes separate classes for refugee children, a measure criticised by opponents who argue that separating pupils could deepen exclusion and hinder integration.

 

 

 

 

The election is also being closely watched by Palestinian and Arab communities beyond Saxony-Anhalt, amid Germany's highly charged debate over Gaza, antisemitism and pro-Palestine activism.

 

The AfD has strongly positioned itself in support of Israel while also arguing that antisemitism in Germany is largely an imported phenomenon associated with migration from Muslim-majority countries.

 

Musharbash, however, described the party's pro-Israel position as "purely tactical".

 

"The strongly pro-Israel rhetoric of the far-right AfD is purely tactical. Its latent tendencies towards antisemitism are, in my view, stronger than its declared slogan of being pro-Israel," he told The New Arab.

 

"This is a deliberate attempt to mislead people and gain support among sections of the population that are less well informed."

 

Musharbash said the political climate surrounding Palestine since the start of the Gaza war had already placed Palestinian, Muslim and Arab communities under greater pressure.

 

"Since 7 October 2023, Palestinians, people from the Middle East, Muslims and Arabic-speaking people have often been collectively suspected by politicians and the media of being not merely critical of Israel, but also hostile towards Jews and, consequently, antisemitic," he said.

 

"The lack of differentiation regarding the actual context, together with the deliberate insinuation that these people are generally hostile towards Jews, is seriously undermining social coexistence."

 

He warned that greater AfD influence would further strain the situation.

 

"A stronger AfD presence in politics will place an even greater strain on this situation," Musharbash said.

 

Germany has faced criticism over restrictions imposed on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, events and political expression since October 2023.

 

"Unfortunately, German Middle East policy has also contributed to exacerbating these tensions," Musharbash said.

 

"For a long time, events organised by pro-Palestinian groups have been banned, panel discussions prohibited, exhibitions taken down, and speakers prevented from entering Germany."

 

He argued that Germany's historical responsibility for the Holocaust continued to shape its approach towards Israel.

 

"Because of its responsibility for the crimes committed against Jews, Germany still feels bound to show unconditional loyalty to the State of Israel," he said.

 

Musharbash added that German politicians were aware of Palestinian suffering in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and had criticised Israeli annexation and settlement construction, but accused them of nevertheless tolerating aggressive Israeli policies.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/08 September 2026 - - -