AfD Gains in Saxony-Anhalt Prompt Some Migrants to Consider Leaving

Saxony-Anhalt's 83-seat legislature met Tuesday and elected AfD's Tobias Rausch as speaker. The AfD fell three seats short of a majority on Sept. 6. The next governor is unlikely before December. Ola Akhras, a Magdeburg doctor who fled Homs in 2018, and her husband discuss daily whether to return to Syria. She said they built lives there but no longer feel welcome, and that their children will never be recognized as Germans. Undra Dressler said counseling centers are extremely busy and that some people have left, some are considering it, and some have decided to stay and get involved. Mohamad Aldabagh, a pharmacist who fled Homs in 2015, said living in Germany has been a very good experience and he will not let anyone take his rebuilt life away. Rahim Hajji asked how a state with an ageing population and growing labor shortages can meet skilled-worker demand if it substantially restricts international recruits. As of August, 27.1 percent of the state's hospital doctors lacked German citizenship. The 13-year-old AfD is the strongest national opposition party and leads recent polls.