The key facts

  • The AfD won 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 seats in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, three seats short of an absolute majority
  • The organizations demand a joint federal-state commission, lifting the residence restriction for refugees under threat, and a federal protection fund
  • The vote for state premier is expected in December; the AfD polls at around 29–30% nationwide

Open letter to the authorities

Migrant organizations in Germany on Monday called on the government to prepare protective measures for migrants and asylum seekers in case a government involving the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) is formed in Saxony-Anhalt. In an open letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the state premiers, they demanded the creation of legal, administrative and financial guarantees before such a government takes office. 'In the coming weeks, a party whose regional branch has been classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as confirmed right-wing extremist could enter government for the first time,' the authors of the letter warned, noting that 'there is still no concept for protecting the people such a government would threaten.' The letter was signed by the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), the Federal Conference of Migrant Organizations (BKMO), the umbrella organization of migrant organizations in Eastern Germany (DaMOst) and the Network of Migrant Organizations of Saxony-Anhalt (LAMSA).

Three demands

The organizations formulated three demands in case a government involving the AfD takes measures they consider unconstitutional. First, to establish a joint commission of the federation and the states to assess risks to minorities and develop protective measures before the government is formed. According to the authors, the commission should determine how to protect people, families, civil society figures and institutions from far-right violence and the actions of a far-right government, and also clarify in advance how the rule of law would respond if a state government tried to test the boundaries of the constitution. Second, to introduce an exception to the rule requiring asylum seekers to live in their assigned state: those threatened by racist violence should be allowed to relocate, including from Saxony-Anhalt. Third, to establish a federal protection fund for non-profit organizations, counseling centers and communities under threat — for security measures, protective counseling, emergency planning and temporary guarantees, with the possibility of applying directly to the federal agency without the state's consent.

Election context

The demands followed the AfD's strong result in the Saxony-Anhalt election on September 6: the party received 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 seats in the state parliament — three seats short of the absolute majority of 42 mandates. During the campaign, the AfD's lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund advocated accelerated deportation of migrants obliged to leave Germany, mandatory work for asylum seekers and converting reception centers into deportation detention centers. The AfD is negotiating the formation of a government: the left-populist BSW signals readiness to cooperate on individual issues, while other parties have ruled out a coalition. The vote to elect the state premier is expected in December. According to nationwide polls, the AfD is polling at around 29–30%, ahead of Merz's CDU/CSU bloc. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring the AfD and a number of its members on suspicion of anti-democratic activity; in some states, the party's regional branches are classified as 'confirmed right-wing extremist organizations,' and the agencies state that parts of the party are characterized by a racist, ethnic understanding of national identity incompatible with the country's democratic constitutional order.