In Vadsø, many new politicians have entered local politics before this year’s elections. Nevertheless, there is one party that stands out from the others. More than half of the names on the MDG electoral list have an immigrant background. One of them is Hamid Abdallah Hassan, originally from Sudan. He came to Vadsø as a refugee in 2009, and has been involved in politics since becoming Vadsø væring. – MDG has done a fantastic job where they have managed to get in touch with us, and motivate us to get involved in politics, says Hassan. Vadsø MDG is a party that represents many different cultures. They believe it is a strength for the party. Photo: private Democracy is not a matter of course In Vadsø municipality, approximately 6,000 people live, and around 10 per cent have an immigrant background. The election list for the MDGs thus reflects the local community. Abdallah Hassan is grateful that he gets to get involved in local politics, because he has experienced that democracy is not a matter of course. – Especially when it comes to democracy and equality. Most of us who come from abroad did not believe that such a system existed. – It is good that more people are getting involved in local politics, understand how the country works, and want to work for a better local community, he says. Says the electoral list is unique Researcher Øyvin Kleven at Statistics Norway (SSB) tells news that a party list where 50 per cent of the candidates have an immigrant background is quite special on a national scale. Since 2003, Statistics Norway has produced statistics on political participation for citizens with an immigrant background. The statistics show that in 2003 the proportion of representatives with an immigrant background to the country’s municipal councils was 1.8 per cent. In 2019, it increased to 3 percent. The proportion of list candidates with an immigrant background has also increased slightly. In 2019, 5 percent of the candidates on the political electoral lists were residents with a background other than Norwegian. – There is no large increase in the proportion of candidates with an immigrant background on the lists ahead of this autumn’s election, says Øyvin Kleven. The leader of Vadsø MDG says they have worked targeted towards residents with an immigration background to get them involved in local politics. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Hope others will be inspired The unique electoral list in Vadsø impresses politicians in other parties. Marian Hussein, born in Somalia, is deputy leader of SV. She hopes more political parties will be inspired by what Vadsø MDG has achieved. Hussein believes that an electoral list that shows cultural diversity is very important for recruiting citizens who are traditionally under-represented in politics. Marian Hussein is deputy leader of SV, and has been a parliamentary representative for Oslo since 2021. Photo: Tom Balgaard/news / news – It is important that people allow themselves to be inspired by each other. And if the local politicians are people you can recognize yourself in, then it will also feel natural to participate. Hussein says that she has experienced that guards have thought that she has gone wrong. She believes it is therefore time to stop thinking that someone does not fit in. – I hope everyone sees that there are people here who really want to contribute. That these immigrants want to make their local community a better place to be. Will show diversity Leader of Vadsø MDG, Roy Håkon Friskilæ, says the party has had a desire to show the diversity in the municipality. The party has therefore worked actively to engage groups that are underrepresented in local democracy, among them several with an immigrant background. Friskilæ says many of the candidates on their list work in the health sector, and talking about politics has become part of everyday work. – We talk a lot as a team about what solutions we should get in society. We talk a lot in the guard room and elsewhere, so it has been natural to bring in the group we feel comfortable with. That’s how I was recruited myself. – Have the discussions become different now that you bring many cultures into the party work? – Yes it is ready. We get things in, for example, immigration, inclusion in society, integration, and I think we have the strongest cards out of all the parties in Vadsø, says Friskilæ. Need to talk more about the good life in Finnmark In Vadsø, Hamid Abdallah Hassan has been put up as MDG’s 3rd candidate on the electoral list. Integration, health and social policy are important topics for Abdallah Hassan, but it was the concern for the climate that triggered him to get involved in politics. – It’s about the whole world. We have seen in recent years the human activities that disturb so much of the planet, and I hope more people can help make the world a little better, he says. Using nature in Vadsø and Finnmark is important to the MDG politician. He believes that these benefits are something that needs to be talked about more. – I am the only one of the dark-skinned people who stands in the river and throws flies to the salmon. I know that there are more people who like it there, so if we can get more people to participate in outdoor activities, I think we will get many people who want to live and stay here in Vadsø. Hamid Abdallah Hassan has taken the step into local politics. He hopes his political involvement can inspire more people with an immigration background to participate in politics. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news Hoping to inspire diversity Hamid Abdallah Hassan is working for the party to enter the municipal council with as many representatives as possible. At the same time, Hassan hopes that his party will be a role model for how to include more people in politics. – I hope that more parties in the whole country get more people with an immigration background to help take care of democracy and equality in the whole of society.
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Half of MDG’s list in Vadsø has an immigrant background – news Troms and Finnmark
