With more naturalized citizens than ever before being eligible to vote, Germany's federal elections have yet another migration undercurrent. CGTN's Natalie Carney reports from Munich. #germany #migration
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00:00Originally from Thailand, Papitia Swartz came to Germany with her German husband in 2019.
00:07She recently acquired citizenship and will be voting in Sunday's elections as a German for the first time.
00:13I'm very excited to perform my duty as a citizen of this country and to shape my own future and the future of my children.
00:23According to recent surveys, there has been a steady increase in naturalizations over the past four or five years,
00:30with an average age significantly younger than the general population average.
00:34Since 2021, over half a million people received German citizenship and are therefore eligible to vote in their first federal election.
00:43This is mainly coming from the Syrian refugees who have arrived in 2015 and 2016 and who are now becoming eligible for German citizenship and now acquiring it.
00:55This coincides with the easing of German citizenship laws that came into effect last summer,
01:00lowering the residency requirements and also allowing for dual nationalities,
01:05a move especially important for the country's sizable Turkish population who are descendants of guest workers and have been in Germany for generations.
01:14Voters with immigrant backgrounds make up a substantial demographic here in Germany,
01:18around 12 percent of the electorate, according to official statistics, with immigration, inflation and the economy topping their concerns.
01:28Pat is also concerned about the rise in the far right and anti-migration movement, which has seen an increase in support recently.
01:35I'm leaning toward the Socialist Party, the Linke, maybe the Green.
01:41The majority of their policy that I think is more for the people, for the people who are not one percent of the country.
01:49While what influences people at the polling stations differs, traditionally these new citizen voters tend to vote for center-left parties.
01:57However, over time, their politics can become more conservative.
02:01What I hear often is this idea that we've paid our dues and a lot of the misinformation that we hear about refugees just using social benefits is not working.
02:12Yet interestingly, while the demographics of what defines a German might be changing,
02:17studies also show that their voting habits are not that far off from those with non-immigrant backgrounds.
02:23Natalie Carney, CGTN, Munich.