Germany’s First African-Born MP Decides Not to Seek Re-Election

Germany’s first African-born member of Parliament, Karamba Diaby, announced this week that he will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming general elections next year. The 62-year-old Senegal native, who was first elected in 2013, cited a desire to make way for a new generation of politicians as the main reason for his decision. While he downplayed racism as the primary factor, the announcement came shortly after his office staff disclosed a series of hate mail and death threats that his office had received.

Despite stating that racism was “not the main reason” for his departure, Mr. Diaby has been vocal about the increased abuse he has faced over the years. Incidents such as bullets being fired through the window of his district office in 2020 and the office being targeted by arson last year have contributed to his decision.

Mr. Diaby, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry and emigrated to East Germany in 1985, was hailed a decade ago for his election as a significant step towards equality. A member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats party, he also mentioned a desire to spend more time with family as a contributing factor to his decision.

However, the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been consistently outpacing his center-left party in his constituency. Mr. Diaby has attributed the rise in racism and threats to the increasing popularity of the AfD, whose populist platform secured them the second place in Germany during the recent European Union elections.

Mr. Diaby has condemned the AfD for promoting hate and inciting violence, stating, “The hatred that the AfD sows every day with its misanthropic narratives is reflected in concrete psychological and physical violence, endangering the cohesion of our society. We cannot simply accept this.”

Representing the city of Halle in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, an area dominated by the nationalist and anti-immigrant AfD, Mr. Diaby has faced numerous threats over the years. Despite this, he previously vowed to continue serving, stating, “Quitting would mean giving their votes less weight than those of a hateful minority. I would never allow that to happen.”

Contributing Reporting by Christopher F. Schuetze