Two Kurds win seats in Norwegian parliament

14-09-2021
Layal Shakir
Layal Shakir
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two Kurds originally from Turkey and northeastern Syria (Rojava) won seats in Norway’s parliamentary elections on Monday.

Seher Ayder, a member of the Red Party, and Labour Party member Mani Hussaini will both enter the Norwegian parliament, Storting.

“Thank you to everyone who voted for us, everyone who has lined up, distributed flyers, called, texted, and talked about Red [party],” Ayder said in a Facebook post. “We have made history and this is just the beginning.”

Ayder, 32, was born in Turkey and grew up in Fredrikstad, Norway. She has a background in the Women's Front, Norway’s main feminist organization, and has led several projects including a ‘Solidarity with Kurdistan’ campaign. She is the first deputy representative in the supreme legislature of the country.

Hussaini, 33, posted a thank you message, adding that the job begins now.

He was born in Rojava’s Qamishli. His family first sought asylum in Sweden and moved to Norway in 2001. He has been the leader of the Workers' Youth League since October 2014.

Labour leader Jonas Gahr Store is set to be the next prime minister and his party is working to form a governing coalition with other left-leaning parties.

There are an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Kurds in Norway, most fleeing their homes because of war or political instability.

Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required