Yazidi candidate in Cologne pushes for residency rights

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A 24-year-old Yazidi is running for a seat on Cologne’s Integration Council, campaigning for stronger support for foreigners living in the west German city.

Hilmend Khalat, who has lived in Cologne’s Porz district for nearly 20 years, is a candidate on the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) list. He said his focus is on residency rights and better representation for immigrant communities.

“Many people have been here since 2015, and now decisions for their return have been issued. After ten years, when a person has sold everything in Iraq and returns, it’s very difficult. This needs to be stopped, or people need to know what their status in Germany is,” Khalat told Rudaw’s Diaspora program that aired on Friday.

Integration Councils are advisory bodies that can influence decisions at the city level. German or European Union citizenship is not required to vote for council members.

Germany hosts one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. It is a popular destination country for tens of thousands of mostly young people who leave Iraq and the Kurdistan Region annually in search of a better life.

The German government is, however, tightening immigration rules and has stepped up deportations.

Khalat studies social work at the University of Cologne and has worked since 2022 with Solidaritat Eva, an organization founded by a Turkish Alevi man to help immigrants. He views his candidacy as the start of a longer-term role in German politics.

“Through this organization, I help my compatriots and everyone around me,” Khalat said. “That’s why I joined the Integration Council. But this is only one stage. I will continue in politics.”