Berlin – More than half a million newly acquired citizens will have the opportunity to vote in the German national choice for the first time this weekend.
Almost a third New Germans are originally from Syria. Most of them left their domestic countries in the last decade, fleeing the war, political instability and economic difficulties. In 2015-2016. Just more than 1 million migrants came to GermanyMost from Syria, but also from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since Last national elections in 2021. yearsNaturalization in Germany has increased rapidly: more than 500,000 people were naturalized between 2021. and 2023, cited by the Federal Statistical Office in the country.
While the numbers for 2024 are not yet available, experts estimate that more than 250,000 people have naturalized in Germany last year.
Many of the new citizens who will vote for the first time in Germany on Sunday, they expressed a blend of excitement on Sunday, hope to change and a sense of empowerment about their voting rights. Some worries about an increase in extreme right, anti-immigrant alternative to Germanyor afd, fun.
For new Germans originally from Syria, the election is weighted with additional importance. Many of them fled from their country due to the civil war that followed the former President Bashar Assad on the protests who call for greater democratic freedom. It is crushed in November, but whether Syria will now become democracy remains unclear. In the meantime they are able to vote in multi-party elections in their new home.
Here’s what five newcomers say about voting in Germany:
Originally from Idlib in Syria, Faour Shahna arrived in 2015. years and now studying mathematics at the Berlin Technical University. Says her new German passport gives her a sense of security as it is now I’m no longer afraid to be deported. He wants to go voice on Sunday, “because every voice counts.”
“Maybe they still see me as a stranger, but I want to pass the voices of strangers (and show) that they are not all the same. You should not see us as strangers, but you should see what we will do for the German state in the future.
“I’m clearly against AFD. … I think there are many others who are against AFD, were they born as strangers or whether they are German. I think they will never rule Germany. Otherwise we would be returned to the 1930s. “
Al Othman, the Syrian Kurd, in Germany, came to Germany. He is currently working in network marketing, but dreams of opening his own coffee place in Berlin. He says that he and his wife, like other Germans, working, paying taxes, do not make any crimes and visit the family on weekends. Hope the next government can ensure that ” Germany will improve the economy again. “
“This is my first national choice after becoming German. Of course it has a lot of meaning to me that my wife and I have an impact on German elections, to decide and who regulates us.
“I talked to my father (in Syria) the other day. And that’s why we think it’s so important. It’s nice that we can also vote here in Germany. We still don’t have many democracies in Syria and there are no choice, because Assad left just a few weeks And we still need time to democracy in Syria. “
Asaasiani-Hermann came to Germany from Georgia, in the Caucasus, in 2011. years and was naturalized in October. He is married to German and lives in Magdeburg, where he has a job as a social worker who helps migrant teenagers integrated into society. She looked concerns that discrimination of migrants can further grow after the deadly attack of the Saudi doctor Christmas market in Magdeburg It killed six and injured more than 200.
“I’ve never felt before that Democracy is under such a threat. This is a very good time to contribute to our voice to ensure that people vote for democracy and that hatred and racism are not promoted. … it also gives me a sense of confirmation and I’m allowed to say … I’m very pleased to have that opportunity this year.
“I hope that the next government will ensure that there is more cohesion in our society. That no longer is so much about them and us and that people who are different for any reasons will not be excluded.”
Hanina came from Damascus in 2016. years, when she was 15 years old. He is married, has one daughter and studying chemistry in Berlin. A young woman hopes the next government will provide more security, especially for Women love alone who wears a hijabAs she often feels badly treated. But most of all she is excited to vote for the first time in his life.
“It’s a great challenge you need to find out which parties, what are the advantages that are endangered, which are the goals of the appropriate party. And I’m actually looking forward to see what happens after the election and which party wins.
“I hope that there will be more focus on social justice, the integration and freedom of people … that everyone is treated as everyone else, no matter where you are, and how you look. The main thing is to be treated equal. “
The pharmacist and father of two small children are originally from Aleppo. Since his arrival in Germany in 2014. He studied German until fluent, worked to receive his Degree of Pharmacy, a job found and waited for more than three years of his citizenship.
” I see a German passport as a reward After so much time effort, difficulty, hope and stress – we set so much effort to ensure that we make a little family for ourselves.
“For me, the moment I first go vote is very, very, very special. … that is the responsibility for us and for society to make the right decision to ensure our future, security and well-being and that Germany is still leads to Europe. “
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2025-02-21 08:43:00
