Four Afghans elected to UK local councils

Four Afghans elected to UK local councils

Four Afghans, three women and one man, have won seats on local councils in the recent local council elections in the UK. Rabia Nasimi, Shahira Karimi and Peymaneh Asad from the Labour Party won in parts of London, and Abdul Bustani from the Scottish National Party won in Glasgow.

After announcing the results, Abdul Bustani said that the Scottish people's vote represented a choice of "hope, justice and progress". He added that the Scottish National Party would continue its efforts to build a "fairer, stronger and more inclusive" society.

In west London, Rabia Nasimi was elected to East Acton local council with more than 1,200 votes. She left Afghanistan with her family during the early days of the Taliban regime and is now a prominent figure in British politics.

Nasimi wrote in a message after his victory that he was proud to be elected as a Labour Party representative alongside other council members, and that this success was the result of a difficult and long electoral campaign.

After immigrating to the UK, he continued his higher education in sociology; he received his BA from Goldsmiths, London, then completed a master's degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and then began his doctoral research at the University of Cambridge.

Peymaneh Al-Assad, who is entering the local council for the third time, also appreciated the support of voters. He said that he had faced verbal attacks, accusations and even death threats during the election campaign.

According to him, some critics had targeted him because of his political views on the two-state solution in Palestine, as well as his family background. However, Al-Assad stressed that despite the pressure, he was able to top the list of candidates with the most votes.

Overall, the results of the UK local elections show that the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer has faced a decline in popular support in parts of England, Scotland and Wales.

In contrast, the UK Reform Party, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have made significant progress in some areas. The elections were held in 136 local councils in England as well as the local parliaments of Scotland and Wales and are considered one of the most important political tests before the general election in 2029.

Report: Shahbanou Nouri