Legislative in Germany: voters of African origin tempted by abstention

Audio 01:15

Karamba Diaby, Social Democrat MP (SPD) of Senegalese origin, is the only elected official of African origin in the German Federal Parliament.

AFP - JOHN MACDOUGALL

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

D-2 before the legislative elections of this Sunday, September 26 in Germany.

Party candidates hold their last major rallies across the country.

Over a million people of African descent live in Germany, some for many years.

But a good number of them will not vote on Sunday. 

Advertising

Read more

With our special

correspondent

in Cologne,

Anastasia Becchio

In the premises of the Promo Guinea Africa association in the multicultural and trendy district of Ehrenfeld, this Sunday's election is not at the heart of the discussions.

Its president, Amadou Touré, installed in Germany for twelve years, will vote, unlike many other Africans living here.

“ 

Politicians offer very little for foreigners in their agenda,” he

explains.

Africans, we are always looking for someone who can change our lives.

But here, SPD or CDU, the machine is running, we do not see any change.

 "

The Afrika-Verein association, which promotes dialogue between Africa and Germany, has studied the party programs.

Result: no concrete proposal for the continent.

See also: Germany: last big debate between the candidates for Angela Merkel's succession

A single elected official of African origin in Parliament

Willy Kamdje, at the head of another NGO helping migrants, considers that it is necessary to sensitize minorities to politics: “ 

We are a small minority, we cannot change the fact, the situation.

But I tell myself that at the end of the day, we need to educate ourselves a little more, because the last few years have shown that in the Bundestag [the German Federal Parliament, editor's note], there are also a lot of foreigners who integrate , different skin colors, and that's already an improvement. 

"

The Social Democratic MP Karamba Diaby is the only elected official of African origin born in Africa, who sits in Parliament in Berlin.

Only 8% of the members of the Bundestag are of foreign origin.

► 

To listen: Alexandre Robinet-Borgomano: "The Merkel years made possible the affirmation of Germany in Africa"

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Germany

  • Africa

On the same subject

Guest Africa

Alexandre Robinet-Borgomano: "The Merkel years made possible the affirmation of Germany in Africa"