Migrants choosing AfD as their first pick in elections

Election Outcome in Paderborn Shocks: AfD Emerges as Most Voted Party by a Significant Margin in Integrative Council Election, Astonishing Both Foreigners and Naturalized Germans

, and ASMedia

2025 September 19 . 10:34 AM

2 min read

Migrants choose AfD as their first preference in elections

Migrants choosing AfD as their first pick in elections

In the recent elections for Paderborn's Integration Council, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured a surprising victory, claiming 24.5% of the votes and four of the directly elected seats. This marks a significant shift from five years ago, when the AfD won only one seat with 7.8% of the votes, and the German-Turkish Friendship led the council.

The Greens came in second, with 19.7% of the votes, followed closely by the German-Turkish Friendship with 13.0%. The German-Russian Society finished in a strong third place, garnering 15.5% of the votes.

Recep Alpan, the current chairman of the Integration Council, expressed shock at the results, particularly the surge in support for the AfD. The council, which meets publicly five to six times a year, is responsible for the integration of people with non-German roots, with a focus on the employment situation of migrants.

The city council elections saw a different outcome, with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leading with 35.8% of the votes. The AfD secured third place, with 15.4% of the votes, and the Greens came in second.

Voters with a migration background in Paderborn tended to vote for the AfD more frequently than those who voted in the city council elections. However, specific data on the voting preferences of foreign voters and naturalized citizens with a migration background is not publicly available from the 2025 local elections in Paderborn.

The Integration Council consists of 22 members, with 15 elected directly by the voters and 7 appointed by the city council. The German-Turkish Friendship and the German-Russian Society will each receive 2 seats in the council.

The turnout for the recent Integration Council election was lower than five years ago, when it was 15.7%. A total of 9,016 voters participated out of 44,563 eligible voters, representing 20.2% of the electorate.

During their campaign, the AfD had dismissed the Integration Council as unnecessary. However, their recent victory may signal a shift in public opinion or a call for more focused attention on the integration of migrants in Kansas City.