ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 200 Kurdish candidates are running for seats in Sweden’s parliament, regional councils and municipalities as the country prepares for elections on September 13.
One of the most prominent candidates is Kurdish politician Gulan Avci, a senior Liberal Party figure who is running to become mayor of Stockholm. Avci, a former Swedish MP who stepped away from politics, returned after Liberal Party leader Johan Pehrson withdrew from politics to lead the party in the capital.
Polls, however, suggest Avci faces a difficult race for the post.
“They threatened to kill my children and told them, ‘You don’t have much time left, say goodbye to life.’” Avci, speaking to Swedish state media about the personal cost of her political career, said she had received threats against her children.
Around 170,000 Kurds live in Sweden, according to information obtained by Rudaw’s Diaspora program on Friday, giving the community a significant presence as the country heads toward a closely contested election.
The left- and right-wing blocs are each polling at around 46 percent, making the Kurdish vote potentially decisive in races that are expected to be settled by narrow margins.
Another Kurdish candidate, Sairan Askari, is running in all three elections – in the parliamentary, regional and municipal races in Orebro. Originally from the Kurdistan Region, Askari has lived in Sweden for more than 37 years.
She told the Diaspora program that she entered politics after becoming dissatisfied with decisions made by Swedish institutions.
“Many decisions were being made by institutions that I did not think were right and I had criticisms of them. That was what prompted me to enter politics. Our responsibility in Sweden is more difficult because we live between two different cultures,” she said.
Askari said Kurdish candidates can help Kurdish and immigrant communities understand Swedish laws and integrate into society.
“We need guidance and awareness for the Kurdish diaspora... so that they understand the laws and integrate into Swedish society. There are many Kurds here, and our participation strengthens our position,” she said.
The potential influence of Kurdish voters was seen in the 2021 political crisis, when Kurdish-Swedish lawmaker Amineh Kakabaveh cast a decisive vote that helped Magdalena Andersson become Sweden’s first female prime minister.
Kakabaveh, who is originally from Saqqez, a major Kurdish city in Iran's Kurdistan province (Rojhalat), supported Andersson without seeking a ministerial position or financial benefits.
This year's Kurdish candidates include Kadir Kasirga, a Social Democratic lawmaker and advocate for Kurdish rights, including the rights of Kurds in northeast Syria (Rojava).
Sweden will hold parliamentary, regional and municipal elections on September 13. It will be the country's first general election since joining NATO, following the end of its longstanding policy of military non-alignment.
Swedish citizens can vote in all three elections, while foreign citizens who have lived in Sweden for at least three years can vote in regional and municipal elections.
Early voting has already begun, with Swedish embassies also preparing for the election.
