- 10 minutes ago
We followed Mustafa through the final weeks of his campaign for the Left in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. What matters to young people in Saxony-Anhalt?
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00:02I'm from the Left Party.
00:03Yeah, no, I have no time.
00:05Sure thing, have a good one.
00:06We just want to have a chat with them.
00:08No, I'm not available right now.
00:10No.
00:11When we first met up with Mustafa,
00:13it was just a couple weeks before the regional election
00:15in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt.
00:17He was running as a Gen-Z candidate for the Left Party,
00:20hoping to make it into state parliament for the first time.
00:23Back then, no one knew the shockwaves this election
00:25would send across Germany and the world.
00:28The right-wing extremist party, the AFD, won just shy of 44%,
00:33the largest share by a wide margin.
00:35This was the strongest result for a far-right party in Germany
00:38since the Second World War.
00:39The Left fell significantly behind.
00:42But these numbers don't tell the full story.
00:44Because over recent years, young people have rejected centrist politics
00:47and increasingly voted for the more radical right and left.
00:51So, what's going on?
00:53To find out, we followed Mustafa during the last weeks of his election campaign.
00:57As he took to the streets, spoke with voters and members of his own party.
01:01Don't get us wrong.
01:02No single candidate can speak for an entire generation.
01:05But Mustafa's battle gives us a glimpse into the heart of this critical moment.
01:10What are young people going through in Saxony-Anhalt?
01:12What's the impact of this election, when you've been in the thick of it for weeks?
01:17And will Mustafa manage to land a seat in the state parliament?
01:23We're in Magdeburg.
01:25Round here, you can't escape his face.
01:27Normally, he's a shift worker in customer service.
01:29But for the election campaign, he's taken an entire month off.
01:34Today, we're headed to Ost-Albien.
01:36It's got lots of non-voters, lots of conservatives, and also plenty of AFD voters.
01:41We're going to start conversations.
01:42It's great to have you here, guys.
01:47I'm from the left party.
01:48Yeah, no.
01:49I have no time.
01:50Sure thing.
01:51Have a good one.
01:58We just want to have a chat with them.
01:59Find out what problems they have with politics.
02:01With what's happening here in Magdeburg.
02:04No, I'm not available.
02:11Today is tough.
02:12Really tough.
02:13People don't want to open up.
02:14They've got work or they just don't fancy it.
02:16But we've got to stick with it.
02:19Hi there.
02:20I'm Mustafa from the left.
02:22We're going through the neighborhood and asking people what they'd like to see change.
02:26Oh, God.
02:27The big topic is the AFD.
02:29That's why I care a lot about these elections.
02:31Do you reckon it's going to be that bad?
02:33I'm stressed about it.
02:35You know, I've got roots outside of Germany.
02:37And to be completely honest, I've looked to see how much a flat would cost in other parts of the
02:41country.
02:41Not because I want to leave.
02:42This is my home.
02:43I'm a Magdeburger.
02:45If the AFD come into power on the 6th of September, I don't know whether people who are different are
02:50going to be safe.
02:53I reckon that most people, including most AFD voters, want to be taken seriously and to finally get something.
02:59Politics needs to change.
03:01It's because people are pissed.
03:03I'm also pissed.
03:04Are you also pissed?
03:05Yeah.
03:06We're all pissed.
03:06And we have every right.
03:08Have a good holiday.
03:09See you soon.
03:10Thanks.
03:11And thanks for doing this.
03:12My pleasure.
03:13My pleasure.
03:14Alright, guys.
03:15How's it going?
03:16A bit hit or miss, I reckon.
03:19Often we knocked and no one came to the door.
03:21I reckon we had two conversations.
03:24In that house alone, we had three votes committed to us.
03:28What?
03:28Just in this house?
03:29Yeah, yeah.
03:32The Left Party formed in 2007 when the PDS and the WASG merged.
03:39The focus is on social equity, whether that's redistribution of wealth, a strong social state, or combating inequality.
03:45The party has sparked major political debate, especially when it comes to foreign policy and defense.
03:51The Left has opposed Germany's weapons export and increased military spending since Russia's assault on Ukraine.
04:01The Left officially uses the term genocide to refer to Israel's actions in Gaza.
04:06Within the party, attitudes towards Israel are controversial, and accusations of antisemitism against individual members arise time and again,
04:13with the Berlin branch facing particular scrutiny.
04:16Until 2013, the Left Party was observed by Germany's Office for Protection of the Constitution.
04:22Now, only factions within the party in the state of Baden-Württemberg are still being monitored for potential left-wing
04:28extremism.
04:42This year is Olven 1, one of the most central spots in Olvensted.
04:46You've got to imagine that behind the drugstore there were all these markets.
04:50There was a whole bazaar.
04:51That's all gone.
04:52It was all torn down.
04:54My mom's Moroccan.
04:56She arrived in 1994.
04:57She'd studied language, but her qualifications weren't recognized by the German state.
05:01She then worked for ages in gastronomy.
05:03My dad was a steelworker back in East Germany.
05:06He lost his job after the wall came down.
05:11I got into politics at 13.
05:13I was sitting in the bus with my mates.
05:15Picture this.
05:16It was full to the brim.
05:18We were just teenagers, you know, being annoyingly loud.
05:22And there was a guy in his 40s.
05:23He turned around and told my pal to shut his mouth.
05:26And like always, I started grinning.
05:29He turned to me and said, what are you grinning at?
05:30I would have put you in the gas chamber first.
05:33As a non-white German, it's always been a rough place to be.
05:37Because you're always accompanied by poverty, by racism.
05:41Hey boys, good to see you.
05:43What's new?
05:45All good?
05:46Hey, what's happening?
05:48Nothing.
05:49All good.
05:49I sent out 20 job applications.
05:52From those 20, I got maybe two responses back.
05:55But both of them were rejections.
05:58And I heard nothing from all the others.
06:00It's the same story like 10 or 15 years ago.
06:02Back then, after 10th grade, I was on the hunt for apprenticeships.
06:06I applied a little late, I got to admit that.
06:08And I couldn't find a single spot.
06:10Good luck pal.
06:12It's the same in Olmsted as the whole of Magdeburg.
06:15The whole East Germany.
06:16When you're young, you're abandoned by the system.
06:18Poverty hits plenty of white East Germans too.
06:21And the fact that youth clubs are closing, that there aren't any playgrounds,
06:24there aren't any sports clubs, these are all issues that are pissing off young people.
06:27And the fact that the AFD is popular here, including here in Olmsted, is hardly a big surprise.
06:35The AFD, or Alternative for Germany, was founded in 2013 as a Euroskeptic party.
06:41But today, the AFD campaigns most actively on migration.
06:45The party has flooded social media with anti-government, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-migration content, reaching millions.
06:53The AFD claims that their agenda isn't a radical one.
06:57That said, leaders of the party have argued, for example, that not everyone with a German passport is a real
07:03German.
07:04A claim in direct conflict with the constitution.
07:07Other politicians in the party, like Björn Höcke, have been sentenced for using Nazi slogans.
07:15Many members of the party are aligned with Russia, at a moment when Russia is waging a hybrid assault on
07:20Germany
07:20through drones, sabotage and disinformation campaigns.
07:24The Constitutional Protection Office categorizes the AFD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization.
07:31In five states, including Saxony-Anhalt, the regional wings are confirmed to be right-wing extremist.
07:39So then why has the AFD been so successful in East Germany?
07:43According to researchers, part of the story is historical.
07:46Until 1990, Germany was divided into East and West.
07:49And despite the country being unified for over three decades, the aftermath of the divide is still felt to this
07:55day.
07:56Compared to West Germans, young Germans in the East have worse job prospects, lower savings and less property.
08:02As an East German, I definitely feel disadvantaged.
08:06It already began when my father died.
08:08I had the option, inherit nothing or go into debt.
08:11The likelihood of inheriting would have been higher if my dad had come from West Germany.
08:15Hey, what's up?
08:17Hey, what's up?
08:17Nice, nice. Long time no see. All good?
08:19Good to see you. Good to see you, man.
08:22Man, you know what a mate told me?
08:23East Germany is like a low-income nation, like a colony.
08:27Sure, I wouldn't agree a thousand percent, but it's headed in that direction.
08:30I earn less than my colleagues in the West.
08:32And that's bullshit. I do the same work.
08:34I reckon they wonder why people in the East are so fucked up.
08:36Like, sure, when you take everything from them.
08:39At uni, I heard that people came from West Germany to Magdeburg to study.
08:44And often, they knew absolutely nothing about what happened when Germany reunified.
08:49And they were completely clueless that these differences still live on.
08:56For me, being East German is all about dealing with resistance
08:59and being able to work together to get out of rough situations.
09:03I've definitely got a strong Magdeburg identity.
09:05When people ask where I'm from, I never say I'm German or Moroccan.
09:08My answer is always that I'm from Magdeburg.
09:11So I'm kind of a local patriot.
09:14Hey, man. Fancy grabbing a kebab?
09:16Hey, bro.
09:17What's up? You good? You good?
09:20I didn't want to vote at all.
09:22And I don't want to, like, vote for a political party.
09:24But I'll vote for you.
09:26See you around.
09:30Election day is here.
09:32While Saxony-Anhalt decides its political future,
09:34Mustafa and his party eagerly await the results.
09:37And for him, it's not just a question of the AfD's possible victory.
09:41His own future is being voted on.
09:43Will he win a seat in the state parliament?
09:47I've got to be honest, I'm unbelievably stressed.
09:50But I'm feeling hopeful that the AfD won't get an absolute majority.
09:53Even so, the result is going to be scary strong.
09:55We'll just have to see what happens.
09:57It'll be okay.
09:58It'll be okay.
09:58It'll be okay.
09:59We'll make the best of it.
10:00We'll keep fighting.
10:01We'll keep fighting.
10:17In the end, the result is stark.
10:19The AfD achieved victory with just under 44 percent of the vote.
10:23An unprecedented victory for the party and a watershed moment for Germany.
10:27But the party can't govern on its own in Saxony-Anhalt,
10:30since they fell short of an absolute majority.
10:32Meanwhile, the left secured just under 9 percent.
10:35Less than they did in the last election,
10:37despite support doubling among young people.
10:41But Mustafa's constituency still has a surprise in store.
10:47We're in front!
10:48We're in front!
10:49We're in front!
10:49We're in front!
10:53We're in front!
10:55Musti, great!
10:56You've done it!
10:57It's not over yet.
10:57Chill, chill, chill.
10:58Chill, chill, chill.
11:05Over the course of the evening,
11:06Mustafa gets confirmation that he's won his seat.
11:10Soon, he'll be headed to the regional parliament.
11:19The results from across the state have been dire,
11:21but we won the direct mandate.
11:23That's given me a huge amount of hope
11:24that we will break through this blue wave,
11:26and the red lighthouse is going to light up the entire country.
11:29What are you doing first thing tomorrow?
11:32My first appointment's at 8.
11:36The votes have been counted for Mustafa,
11:39for Saxony-Anhalt,
11:40and to some extent for the political direction of the entire country.
11:45Saxony-Anhalt is on the verge of a new chapter,
11:48and Gen Z is playing a critical role in writing it.
12:03國crafts,찬 e.
12:03New Jai,
12:03That's not the person中 you are all who Who Are National.
12:03New Jai conditional instrument has been balling with you.
12:06So it's won if you only have it,
12:08and you want to play,
12:11And the entire country of generators are both steady
12:11We're in the background of the ocean,
12:11You've never had to know.
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