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BRUSSELS,
Belgium -- Kurds will be running as candidates in Belgium’s municipal elections
on Oct. 10. Twenty candidates of Kurdish origins are hoping to secure posts
across the country’s three provinces.
"If
I win, I will work to improve the integration of Kurds into Belgian
society," one of the candidates told Rudaw.
In
addition to general parliamentary elections, there will also be elections for
the regional governments in Belgium. The candidates who spoke to Rudaw
said that the municipal elections were not that important because they offer
limited power.
But the
candidates hope that they can work with the municipal boards to better
assimilate Kurds into Belgian society by giving French and Dutch language
courses, the official languages of the country.
The New
Flemish Alliance (N-VA) is one of the largest nationalist parties in Belgium.
This party calls for the secession of the province of Flanders from Belgium,
where Dutch is spoken by the majority of residents.
N-VA is
known for its aggressive position towards French-speaking citizens and for
supporting tougher policies against immigrants and foreigners in Belgium.
However, some Belgian Kurds are running as N-VA candidates in these elections.
Izolda
Farho, 38, is a Belgian Yezidi Kurd and an N-VA candidate. She immigrated to
Belgium from Georgia and has been living here for 21 years.
On why
she has joined a right-wing nationalist party, she said, "The N-VA is the
most powerful party in Flanders and supports the Kurds more than the others.
The leadership of this party generally has a good understanding of the Kurdish
community and considers themselves closer to the Kurds than the other
parties."
Another
Kurdish N-VA candidate is Zuhel Demirel, who is believed to have more of a
chance at winning than the other candidates. Demirel is running in Antwerp, the
capital of the province of Flanders and a city where more than 10,000 Kurds,
mostly from Turkey, reside.
Demirel
is supported by the Kurdish National Congress (KNK), whose headquarters are
located in Brussels.
There is
no official data regarding the size of the Kurdish population in Belgium, but
is estimated to be around 50,000.
Regarding
the fact that only 20 Kurds are candidates in the election, Farho said,
"Many Kurds in Belgium do not know the local languages and cannot
assimilate into their communities. Therefore, they do not get involved in
politics and cannot serve their nation.”
According
to Farho, another reason for the weak Kurdish contribution is the fact that the
municipal elections are not as important as the parliamentary and regional
government elections.
"Unlike
the municipal elections, the winning candidates in the parliamentary and
regional governmental elections can help and support their communities,"
she said.
Tural
Fincan, originally from Dersim, Turkey, has been living in Belgium for 21
years. He is running as a candidate for the Green Party of Belgium. He said,
"In the municipal elections we cannot lobby for the Kurds. But, if we
reach other positions and get a better grasp on the Belgian system, we can
create more capable and better cadres for our country."
Regarding
the position of Green Party towards the Kurdish community, he added, "The
greens have supported human rights and democracy in the Middle East and the
Kurdish cause in a practical way. The greens of Belgium have launched a
campaign to defend Kurdish journalists arrested in Turkey. They try to raise
the voice of the Kurds to the international stage in Europe."
Fincan
complained about the disunity among Kurds in Belgium. "As Kurds from all
parts of Kurdistan in Belgium, we need to unite and work as one regardless of
our political ideologies and perspectives."
Cetin
Sisek, 38, a Kurd originally from Turkey, is a Socialist Party candidate in the
city of Leuven. "I have a good chance of winning these elections due to
the big Kurdish community in Leuven," he said.
Sisek
spoke about his goals should he be elected. “I want to create an independent
multilateral committee for the Kurds in Leuven in order to unite our
capabilities and serve our cause together," he said, adding that the
municipality had already accepted this project.
He also
explained that the Kurdish parties have done good work for the Kurds in
Belgium, but added, "This is not enough. We need an institution that will
serve all Kurds regardless of their political affiliations and
ideologies."
http://www.rudaw.net/english/world/5245.html
