Left, BSW, CDU: This is how people with a migration background voted in Neukölln
A large proportion of them are not allowed to vote at all. But how did the rest vote? The Berliner Zeitung spoke to some of them in Neukölln.
"I was born here, my daughters go to school here," says Mr. Asam, "I have a company with several hundred employees, my family pays a lot of money to the state every month. And yet everyone only sees me as a foreigner." Mr. Asam's opinion is clear.
The 35-year-old has set up his own business in the catering and food industry in Neukölln and says: "Despite everything, you are seen as an outsider. Only here in Germany do we have more rights than in any other country. But as a migrant you are still not accepted." Asam's family originally comes from Palestine . That is why, he says, he voted for the Left Party with his first vote in the federal election , like many in Neukölln.
Ferat Koçak, the Left's direct candidate in this constituency, was able to unite exactly 30 percent of voters behind him. This was the first time he won a direct mandate for the Left in Neukölln - it is the first time the party has won a seat outside the territory of the former GDR.
Around Hermannplatz and Sonnenallee, Koçak's approval ratings are even higher. Asam's second vote went to the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance . "I also think it's bad that Germany sends weapons to Ukraine and Israel and squanders my tax money on other countries," he explains his decision. "The BSW also sees the other side of people, Sahra sees us foreigners too."
He would actually have liked to vote for the SPD . "If it hadn't been for Scholz . He has failed as Chancellor on all fronts," says the 35-year-old. And then he admits: "If it was just about the economic aspect, I would have voted for the AfD ," says Mr Asam. "But they want fewer rights for foreigners and people with a migration background." Nevertheless, he stresses, he is in favor of deporting criminal foreigners. Also to prevent attacks like those in Magdeburg , Aschaffenburg and Munich . "They cast a bad light on all of us. Anyone who becomes a criminal should go back."
Shadi, the owner of the small hair salon Studio 14 on Hobrechtstrasse in Neukölln, is sitting with his friend Khaled. They are both from Syria and came to Germany in 2016. "What do I vote for?" asks Shadi. "AfD, of course." After a short pause, he adds: "That was obviously just a joke. I voted for the Left, with both votes." Shadi was naturalized three years ago. He asked the Wahl-O-Mat who he should vote for, and he discussed it with friends and colleagues. "The answer was definitely the Left," says the 30-year-old.
"What is most important to me is that the Left Party stands for a Germany for everyone. Everyone should be treated equally, whether they are white or people of color. No deportations, for peace," says the hairdresser. "But also the promotion of small businesses, a good tax policy for my shop." The way the Left Party deals with Syria, Gaza and Israel is also important to him, he says. "But that was only one aspect of my voting decision."
He says he agrees with the election results in Berlin. "After all, we don't have the same results here as in Saxony . That's why we celebrated the outcome of the election yesterday." His friend Khaled would also have voted for the Left, but he is not yet a naturalized citizen. "I like their vision for Germany and politics. Their politics for Gaza, the way they deal with refugees and Syria," says the 31-year-old.
Omar is also not allowed to vote. But if he had, he would have voted for Friedrich Merz and the CDU , he says. He came from Iraq in 2016 as a law student, started out delivering packages in Germany and now has his own company. "An accounting office with 600 customers in Neukölln," he says proudly. "I go to work, pay a lot of taxes. But unfortunately you never hear of such positive examples in the debate."
Unfortunately, there are many negative examples instead. That is why Omar would vote for Merz. "He is consistent when it comes to dealing with migrants who don't behave and who cause trouble. There is enough work to do, and those who cause trouble should face the consequences. Criminals must be deported. He is right about that."
42-year-old Rami Kasemi and his wife, however, see things differently. Both voted for the SPD, he says. "With both votes." They have been in Germany since 2015 and originally come from Syria. They have had dual citizenship since 2023; the federal election was their first democratic election.
"Many parties are strict about migration, which is why we chose the SPD," says Kasemi. Before the election, he did a lot of research, on television and the Internet. He is not thrilled that Friedrich Merz will now be the chancellor. "But how the CDU will govern with Merz at the helm remains to be seen. That also depends on the coalition partners."
The fact that the AfD has gained a lot of votes, with more than twenty percent of the vote, doesn't really worry him. "My daughters go to school wearing headscarves. If the AfD were in government, I would be afraid that they would be banned from wearing headscarves. But I work, pay taxes, speak German, and don't take any money from the state. So I'm not afraid of the AfD either: They need people who work honestly too."
Berliner-zeitung
