Concern among Saxony-Anhalt immigrants ahead of the elections and plans for a strike against the AfD

The percentage of foreigners constitutes about one in every ten residents of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, but a state of anxiety prevails among them about the possible results of the state parliament elections scheduled for next September 6.

People with immigrant backgrounds in the state of Saxony-Anhalt express their feeling of threat due to the rhetoric and policies of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is ahead in opinion polls over other parties in the state.

Ahead of the state parliament elections, scheduled to be held on September 6, migrant organizations and unions called for organizing a “strike against racism and marginalization” and a protest in front of the state parliament in the city of Magdeburg on August 26, according to what the state’s refugee council announced today, Monday (August 17, 2026).

The statement calling for the strike said that the party is fueling “racism by holding immigrants, refugees, and people from different backgrounds responsible for all social problems,” which raises feelings of fear in society.

Accordingly, migrant business owners in Magdeburg and other cities plan to voluntarily close their establishments on that day from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The organizers stressed in their statement: “We close our doors today so that the doors of a free and democratic society will not be closed tomorrow,” stressing their desire to live within a society “in which racial origin does not determine who belongs to it,” and that human dignity, equality of rights, and community belonging are non-negotiable principles.

Statistics increase immigrants' fears

About four weeks before the parliamentary elections for the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the results of an opinion poll revealed that the Alternative for Germany party would receive 43% of the votes in the eastern German state in these elections.

The results of the poll conducted by the “Politics” Institute for Opinion Research and commissioned by the “Campact” organization and published last week showed that the Christian Democratic branch of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party in this state will receive 23% in these elections, followed by the Left Party with 13%, the Social Democratic Party with 7%, and the Green Party with 5%.

As for the "Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance" party, it will receive 4%, and the Free Democratic Party will receive 2%, which means that they will not be able to enter the state parliament.

According to the data, the survey included 2,604 people entitled to vote, and their opinions were polled by phone and online from August 3 to 8.

According to the results, the Alternative Party, which is officially classified in Saxony-Anhalt as a confirmed case of a far-right party, will not be able to govern alone in Saxony-Anhalt, as it will not have its own majority in Parliament. About 13% of voters have not yet decided which party they will vote for on September 6th.

Opinion polls for the elections are generally shrouded in a state of uncertainty, and the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament election polls have been fluctuating within a few percentage points over the past weeks.