BERLIN, Germany - Voters of Kurdish descent in Germany should unite and vote against the far-right in Sunday’s parliamentary election, a Kurdish candidate told Rudaw on Friday.
"These are unclear and dark times because racist and extremist parties like AfD [Alternative for Germany] are very strong. The Christian Democrats are also playing with this racism and there might be a right-wing coalition, which would be very bad for Kurds. That's why it's important to have a strong left opposition and for us Kurds to stand together more than ever this time. We Kurds must understand that only through unity can we bring about change,” said Ferat Kocak.
Kocak was born in Berlin in 1980 to a Kurdish immigrant family from Turkey. He began his political career in 2016 and became a member of Berlin's state parliament in 2021. He is now running for The Left party (Die Linke) in the German federal parliament elections.
He is one of 12 Kurds vying for votes. Most Kurds in Germany support center-left parties, however, there are also some members in the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The CDU has faced backlash after cooperating with the AfD on an anti-immigration bill they tried to pass late last month.
The AfD is a far-right party that opposes immigration and publicly condones mass deportations. It is polling in second place.
German voters are concerned about global conflicts, especially when they force people to flee their homes, according to Kocak.
“Many people are worried about war and weapons exports as Germany is one of the world's largest weapons exporters. Wars are happening in the world, people seek refuge here, yet a system is developing here that doesn't welcome them," he said.
Other growing concerns are rising housing and transportation costs, he added.
There is a large Kurdish population in Germany and Kocak believes that they can have an impact on their ancestral homelands.
"It's very important for us Kurds to understand that we can bring about change for Kurdistan from here, if we become part of this country's politics,” he said.
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