As Sweden prepares to hold its general elections on September 13, the Kurdish diaspora is emerging with an unprecedented presence in the country’s political arena. According to data from election-monitoring organizations, more than 200 Kurdish candidates are contesting seats at the parliamentary, regional, and municipal levels. This represents the largest Kurdish political participation in the history of democratic elections in Europe.
According to reports by the Kurdish Institute for Elections and Swedish local news outlets, 34 Kurdish candidates have been placed in leading positions on the electoral lists of major parties. Of these, at least nine are considered highly likely to win seats in Parliament due to their favorable positions in constituencies such as Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Örebro.
In terms of party affiliation, most Kurdish candidates are running with the Social Democratic Party, which currently leads national opinion polls with nearly 33% of the vote. Others are standing for parties such as the Left Party, the Green Party, and the Liberal Party.
Among the most prominent Kurdish figures contesting this election are Lawin Redar and Qadir Kasirga, both Social Democratic candidates with strong popular support in Stockholm. Gulan Avci of the Liberal Party is also competing for a senior position in Stockholm’s municipal government. At the regional and municipal levels, several new faces occupy high positions on candidate lists, including engineer Ranjdar Falih and artist Tara Rasoul in Stockholm, as well as Shler Bradostin in Malmö.
The election’s main contest between the left-wing bloc, led by the Social Democrats, and the right-wing alliance is extremely close. According to opinion polls, both blocs have secured support of approximately 46%. In this sensitive political equation, the Kurdish community—estimated to number between 150,000 and 170,000 people in Sweden—could play a decisive role and tip the balance of power in Parliament and the formation of the next government in favor of one of the competing blocs.
Sweden uses a proportional-representation electoral system, with elections held every four years. On the same day, citizens vote for the 349 members of the Riksdag, as well as representatives to 21 regional councils and 290 municipal councils. Under electoral law, a party must receive at least 4% of the national vote to enter Parliament, while the threshold for winning seats at the regional and municipal levels is 3%.
The Kurdish diaspora’s participation in Swedish politics dates back several decades, when Kurdish refugees began arriving in the country because of political conditions in the Middle East. In the 2018 and 2022 elections, Kurds secured between six and eight parliamentary seats. Because socialist and left-wing parties have traditionally emphasized immigrants’ rights and social justice, the Kurdish diaspora has generally tended to vote for the left-wing bloc. In recent years, however, some Kurdish politicians have also attained senior positions within the Liberal Party and other centrist parties.