Bochum – – September 09, 2026 -- GLS Bank board member Aysel Osmanoglu has issued a public statement following an unexpectedly strong result for the far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, warning that the outcome puts fundamental societal achievements and democracy itself at risk.
GLS Bank says an AfD-led state government would pressure its civil-society client base
Osmanoglu, who sits on the board of the Bochum-based socio-ecological GLS Gemeinschaftsbank, said the bank counts many organizations from civil society among its customers and that an AfD-led regional administration would place these clients under direct pressure.
Executive links open, diverse society to a resilient economic future
"The free and diverse society is the foundation for a good life and a future-proof economy," Osmanoglu said, arguing that democratic values and economic viability are directly connected rather than separate policy tracks.
Statement calls for unified action among pro-democracy actors to counter normalization
Osmanoglu called for right-extremist positions to be prevented from further normalization, framing this as a shared task for everyone who supports democratic values. She said she wanted to advocate, in her roles as banker, mother and optimist, for conditions that make a livable future possible for all people within planetary limits.