BERLIN, Sept 7 - Mamad Mohamad watched with mixed emotions as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) swept to a historic victory on Sunday evening in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

A member of the Greens, the 46-year-old is set to become one of the first lawmakers with an immigrant background to enter the state parliament, alongside Mustafa Groener of the Left (Die Linke) party.

For Mohamad, who arrived in Germany from Syria as a 16-year-old Yazidi Kurd in 1996, it was a milestone that should have been a moment of celebration. Instead, he described it as a "poisoned victory".

"My heart was split," Mohamad said, recalling the first projections that showed the AfD outperforming expectations while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's governing conservatives slumped to a historic low.

'CULTURALLY ALIEN'

The AfD has long campaigned for tighter immigration and asylum policies, arguing that Germany has lost control of its borders and that migration is putting heavy pressure on public services, security and social cohesion.

According to its election manifesto, an AfD-led Saxony-Anhalt would launch a state-level campaign to deport rejected asylum seekers.

The party also proposes encouraging businesses to adopt artificial intelligence and automation rather than rely on skilled migration from what it describes as "culturally alien" backgrounds.

The AfD rejects accusations that its rhetoric contributes to a hostile climate for migrants, insisting it opposes only illegal and uncontrolled migration.

"Everyone is warmly welcome who contributes positively to our society, who wants to work here, who is qualified, who pays taxes, and who abides by the law," AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said on Monday.

PACKED BAGS

The mood in Mohamad's family was sombre on Monday.

His daughter, he said, was reluctant to attend school, one of several cr...