Party preferences and political participation: the emergence of the Turkish-origin German voter Cover Image

Party preferences and political participation: the emergence of the Turkish-origin German voter
Party preferences and political participation: the emergence of the Turkish-origin German voter

Author(s): Vera Eccarius-Kelly
Subject(s): Electoral systems, Migration Studies, Ethnic Minorities Studies
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Muslim immigrants; integration; Turkish-origin German voters; naturalization; minority voting preferences.;

Summary/Abstract: The article examines trends in voting preferences and voting behavior of Turkish-origin German voters. Despite only representing a small percentage of the total German electorate, Turkish-origin voters are gaining an opportunity to shape the future political landscape. While the Social Democrats have benefited most directly from the minority constituency so far, this author suggests that the Green Party is poised to attract the younger, better educated, and German-born segment of the Turkish-origin voters. All other dominant national parties have ignored this emerging voting bloc, and missed opportunities to appeal to Turkish-origin voters by disregarding community-specific interests.

  • Issue Year: 5/2008
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 21-40
  • Page Count: 20
  • Language: English