ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nine Kurds have secured seats in local councils across Finland, while two others have been elected to the Welfare District Council, signaling a growing Kurdish presence in the Finnish political landscape.
Two of the successful candidates, Mohis Azizi and Seida Sohrabi, lauded Rudaw's coverage of the elections as playing a significant role in raising awareness among voters and encouraging them to participate in the ballot.
Speaking to Rudaw’s Sima Abkhezer, Sohrabi, who ran under the National Coalition Party (NCP), said that “Kurdish candidates who secured seats were able to win votes in various areas, which means we gained support from both Kurds and non-Kurds alike.”
For his part, Azizi underscored that large numbers of Kurds live in Finland. He highlighted the crucial role played by educated Kurdish youth, noting their growing contribution to Finnish society.
"The Kurdish fingerprint is more visible than ever before in Finland and it is time that the voice of Kurds be heard," Azizi said.
A total of 37 Kurdish candidates ran in the local elections, including 22 men and 15 women, representing an array of political parties such as the NCP, Left Alliance, Social Democrat Party (SDP) and the Green League.
SPD emerged on top, while the NCP and the Centre Party of Finland came in second and third, respectively.
In terms of Kurdish origins, 15 of the candidates descend from Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhelat), 14 from Northern Kurdistan (Bakur), 6 from Southern Kurdistan (Bashur) and 2 from Western Kurdistan (Rojava).
In Finland’s southwestern city of Turku alone, nine Kurds were nominated.
Walat Nahri, former president of the Kurdish Associations Union in Finland, told Rudaw that “more than 18,000 Kurds live in the country according to official statistics.”
