Berlin/Cottbus, Germany – Germany is preparing for high-stakes elections, amid fears that far-right sentiment rising while migration policies sit at the centre of political debate.In Cottbus, a city in eastern Brandenburg, the mood is tense as voters prepare to head to the polls with the rest of Germany on February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition government led by his Social Democratic Party (SPD) collapsed last November.
Outside the city centre, Jana Zistel, a German resident in Cottbus, is not sure which party to support, but is certain of her stance against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has skyrocketed in popularity among eastern cities.
“Yes, I know many people are big supporters of the AfD here, but I just don’t understand it. Germans, too, are foreigners in other places,” she told Al Jazeera.
People walk outside the Cottbus city hall in Cottbus, Germany [Shola Lawal/Al Jazeera]
Known for its anti-migration views, the group’s success marks the first time in decades that a far-right party in Germany has gained such popularity. Advertisement
According to the latest polls, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is leading the polls, followed by AfD. Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) is in third place.
“The overall atmosphere is rather tense in Germany at the moment, and refugees do feel the changing attitude towards them,” said Judith Wiebke, a spokesperson for PRO ASYL, a German pro-immigration group.
Wiebke told Al Jazeera that fear in immigrant communities has been rising as the election nears.
“We get the feedback that in the Syrian community, there is new fear for their future in Germany, and the Afghan community [too,] is worried with regards to calls for regular deportation flights to Afgh …
