Sweden, One of the Freest Countries in the World, Goes to Elections on September 11

Sweden, one of the freest countries in the world, goes to the polls on September 11. While it is seen that even one game is valuable in the race where two candidates compete fiercely, non-governmental organizations are launching a campaign to encourage the participation of the immigrant community in the country.

Sweden, which is defined as “a parliamentary monarchy with free and fair elections and a strong multi-party system” by Freedom House, a non-governmental organization working with a focus on democracy, human rights and political freedom, goes to the polls on September 11.

According to the current surveys of Kantar Sifo research company, the vote rates of the four-party coalition supporting Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson to remain as prime minister and the four-party coalition supporting Ulf Kristersson are standing at par with 48,9 percent and 49,7 percent, respectively. According to Reporters Without Borders data, the turnout rate exceeding 2022 percent in the 2018 elections in Sweden, which is third in the global ranking in terms of freedom of press and expression in 87, is seen as a reflection of the country's democratic culture. Despite this, the Swedish Turkish Youth Federation (TUF), which has determined that the participation of the immigrant population in the country is quite low compared to the average, is signing the “Everything Begins with a Vote” project to encourage the participation of voters with immigrant background in the elections to be held on September 11.

The turnout of the immigrant population in the elections drops to 70 percent.

Mert Can Yılmaz, one of the project coordinators, pointed out that there are more than 150 thousand people who immigrated to Sweden from Turkey, and that the active participation of the immigrant population in the country in democratic processes is critical for the representation of immigrant communities in the political scene. We aim for the active participation of voters of immigrant origin in the September 11 elections, where regional councils and regional councils will be determined. We believe that raising awareness on this issue and directing people to the ballot box is the duty of civil society. While the general participation rate in the elections in the country is around 90 percent, this rate drops to 70 percent when the focus is on the immigrant community. Although Sweden acts with the slogan of 'leaving no one behind', the inequalities between the population with a migrant background and those born in the country are reflected in the reports. We think that the solution to all these problems is passed through the parliament. We believe that democratic rights can only be won through democratic struggles.

Campaign materials are prepared in different languages

Berrak Pınar Uluer, one of the project coordinators, pointed out that the studies reveal that the behaviors of people around them are effective in people's decision to go to the polls, and shared her evaluations with the following statements: and Turkish, as well as English, Kurdish, Arabic and Syriac translations. We find the multilingual approach valuable to encourage all voters to vote in the September 11 elections, which is very critical for the democratic gains of communities with a migrant background.”