Germany is home to the world’s biggest Turkish community overseas, with more than 3.5 million people. Descendants of "guest workers" and later migrants once hailed for their contribution to post-war Germany, find themselves at the heart of a debate of some politicians wondering whether they are "fully integrated" into German society. Though the European country long praised the exemplary integration of Turks, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory in last Sunday’s runoff sparked the debate.

There were scenes of jubilation in some German cities after Erdoğan secured a new term in the race against his rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, with cars decked out with flags driving through the streets and honking.

Germany had about 1.5 million registered voters in the polls, and Erdoğan received some 67% of the votes cast.

That is far above the 52% share of the vote Türkiye's longest-serving leader garnered at home, where he had to overcome strong competition from Kılıçdaroğlu backed by a six-party alliance.

A commentary piece in Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper stopped short of accusing Erdoğan’s supporters in Germany of treason but said that those celebrating his victory "were born here, went to school here, enjoy freedom and prosperity, but consider the 'West' the realm of evil." "It is a truism that is now being echoed from left to right, something is going wrong with integration in Germany," it said.

The results fed into a political row on a plan by the coalition government, led by the left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD), to ease the path to German citizenship and make it easier to be a dual citizen, which is almost impossible under current rules.

"After this Turkish election, the (coalition) should finally have understood: 'Turbo-naturalisation' and dual citizenship for all are the wrong reasons," Andrea Lindholz, a lawmaker from the right-wing Christian Social Union (CSU) party, told the Bild tabloid.

Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, who hails from a Turkish family, was among those criticizing support for Erdoğan in Germany. In remarks to journalists after Erdoğan’s victory, Özdemir tied the support to the rise of "Turkish ultranationalism" and expressed concerns over what he called "religious fundamentalism" by imams who will be appointed to Turkish mosques in Germany by Türkiye. Earlier, he slammed those celebrating Erdoğan’s win in Germany, saying they should "answer" for the consequences of their vote.

Erdoğan's success in Germany was helped in large part by well-organized and well-funded overseas organizations, said Gökay Sofuoğlu, chairperson of the Turkish Community in Germany, which advocates for greater rights for those of Turkish descent. "Of course, they can mobilize a lot of people," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday.

Erdoğan was presented as a strong, successful leader in a way that would appeal to Turks in Germany, many of whom are descended from so-called "guest workers" who arrived under an economic program in the 1960s and '70s and hailed from rural, conservative communities.

In contrast to Erdoğan's "emotional approach" to the Turkish community in Europe's most populous country, Germany appeared to have little to offer, said Eren Güvercin, a Turkish journalist living in the country Those who are not seeking to develop "counter-offers" to build up "emotional access" to Turks in Germany, "should not be surprised that Erdoğan fills this gap," he added.

As Germany sought to get back on its feet after World War II, hundreds of thousands of Turks came over to work in industries ranging from construction to car manufacturing.

Times were often tough for the newcomers, many of whom earned lower salaries than Germans and lived in low-quality housing. But many stayed and brought family members over, and are now an integral part of society. Many hold only German citizenship, due to the current ban on dual nationalities.

Türkiye enjoyed warm ties with Germany under the leadership of Erdoğan in the past two decades, especially during the tenure of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. But flourishing commercial ties were overshadowed by Germany’s stance toward terrorist groups hostile to Türkiye. The country is home to several fugitive members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which engineered a coup attempt against Erdoğan in 2016 in Türkiye that killed 251 people.