The rescheduled Finnish municipal elections took place yesterday June 13 in all parts of Finland. The total number of votes are 2,456,146 which account for 55.1%
The Coalition Party won the election in overall with 21.3% followed by The Finnish Social Democratic Party, 17.7% and the third goes to The Centre Party of Finland 14.9%.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democrats placed second, over three percentage points behind, in her first test at the polls since coming to power in December 2019, and following a campaign dominated by how to manage the economic fallout from the pandemic.
The Basic Finns became the largest party in six municipalities unlike in the last election where they didn’t attain such feat. The chairman of the party, Jussi Halla-aho raked nearly 19,000 votes thereby making him the candidate with the highest votes in the whole of Finland. People of foreign background especially those in Helsinki will have a breath of fresh air because Halla-aho, an anti-immigrant campaigner won’t get the deputy mayor because The Basic Finns is the fifth largest party in Helsinki.
Election results graph: Credit Yle
Our main focus is on the performances of candidates from African backgrounds. As predicted, the Somalis topped the list of candidates who cruised to victory at the polls. In total, Eleven Somalis were elected City Councillors and five Deputy Councillors. However, four big names didn’t make it. SDP candidate in Espoo, Habiba Ali, 276 votes was not re-elected, Aadan Ibrahim of SDP Vantaa wasn’t elected. He got 254 votes. Hassan Ahmed’s 615 votes from The Swedish People’s Party in Helsinki was not enough to get to the city Council and Roda Hassan who has been in Turku City Council for 21 years under the Greens lost the election. They are all Deputy Councillors.
Järvenpä NCP candidate Rita Kostama was re-elected with 157 votes.
It was a victory for Espoo SDP Somali duo of Mohammed Jama, 531 votes and veteran politician Abdirahman Ali 315 votes.
In the city of Vantaa, where there are more immigrants, the results were trailed with mixed reactions. Cameroonian first-timer, Georgiana Forsang was not elected to the City council to represent the Centre Party of Finland. She got 112 votes. It was a rollercoaster for SDP Faysal Abdi who was re-elected for a second term with 683 votes while Naima El Issaoui got 275 votes which took her to the City council.
In Helsinki, Fatim Diarra a member of The Greens whose father is from Mali got the highest votes when it comes to candidates from African backgrounds. She got 3845 votes making her the second highest after the Party Chair, Anni Sinnemäki.
It was another victory for two Somalis who were re-elected to the Helsinki City council. Left Alliance candidate, Suldan Said Ahmed was re-elected to the City Council. Suldan who is aiming to become Helsinki Deputy Mayor got 1634 votes, thereby making him the Somali candidate with the highest number of votes. According to speculations and permutations, Suldan Ahmed may become the first Somali Deputy Mayor or a Member of Parliament. SDP candidate, Mahad Ahmed got 918 votes which was enough to see him through.
In Turku, Dr. Bilola Theresia came close to becoming the first Cameroonian to be elected to the City Council. The Greens candidate secured 228 votes which got her the Deputy Councillor position. Three Somalis, Yusuf Mohammed 324 votes, Muhiadin Hersi of the Left Alliance 307 votes and Abdullahi Sultan 303 votes made it to the City Council
No Nigerian made it to the City Council despite Nigeria being the second largest groups from Africa after the Somalis. Lähti based Simon Ekpa of NCP got 154 votes which placed him on the Deputy list and his compatriot Linda Omodara of the Greens in Oulu got 162 votes.
In Vaasa, Somali Ramieza Mahdi was re-elected to the City Council under the Swedish People’s Party.
In Oulu, Somali Jamal Awad was elected alongside his compatriot in Tampere, Liban Shielk who got 1004 votes.
In Jyväskylä, MP Bella Forsgrén raked 2016 votes while Tracy Mantan a first-timer from Congo got 39 votes.
The 2019 Suomen Yrittäjät Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Winner, Faisa Egge was elected in Kokkola with 150 votes.
List of the majority of the candidates from African backgrounds
1. Porelela Diafouka 25 votes, not elected
2.Adje Felix 9 votes, not elected
3. Georgiana Forsang 112 votes, not elected
4. Faysal Abdi 683 votes, elected
5. Naima El Issaoui 275 votes, elected
6. Aadan Ibrahim. 254 votes, elected deputy councillor
7 Refka Elech. 46 votes, not elected
8. Mohammed Jama. 553 votes, elected
9. Abdirahman Ali. 315 votes, elected
10. Habiba Ali. 276 votes, elected deputy councillor
11. Folayemi Vättö. 106 votes, not elected
12. Adwoa Brewu. 162 votes, elected deputy councillor
13. Winnie Mbabazi. 17 votes, not elected
14. John Opoku. 42 votes, not elected
15. Linus Anyamele. 51 votes, not elected
16. Rhoda Korpijärvi. 74 votes, not elected
17. Maria Miala. 445 votes, elected deputy councillor
18. Suldan Ahmed. 1634 votes, elected
19 Amin Hassan. 373 votes, not elected
20. Fatim Diarra. 3845 votes, elected
21. Mahad Ahmed. 918 votes, elected
22. Ahmed Hassan. 615 votes, elected deputy councillor
23. Beatrice Vesikko. 45 votes , not elected
24. Raphael Tsanga. 22 votes, not elected
25. Simon Ekpa. 154 votes, elected deputy councillor
26. Linda Omodara. 162 votes, not elected
27. Anthony Anih. 25 votes, not elected
28. Ramieza Mahdi. 227 votes, elected
29. Rita Kostama. 157 votes, elected
30. Bella Forsgrén 2016 votes, elected
31. Tracy Manta. 39 votes, not elected
32. Frankline Njita 45 votes, not elected
33. Bilola Theresia. 228 votes, elected deputy councillor.
34. Paco Diop 201 votes, elected deputy councillor
35. Yusuf Mohammed 324 votes, elected
36. Muhiadin Hersi. 307 votes, elected
37. Abdullahi Sultan. 303 votes, elected
38. Roda Hassan. 143 votes, not elected
39. Elina Sagne 192 votes, not elected
40. Abdukadir Isak. 96 votes, not elected
41. Mediatrice 76 votes, elected deputy councillor
42. Liban Shielk 1004 votes, elected
43. Jamal Awad. 340 votes, elected
44. Simeon Walls 18 votes, not elected
45. Mukhtar Abib. 655, votes, elected deputy councillor
46 Dieudonne Mavunda 21 votes, not elected
47. Millicent Eränen. 6 votes, not elected
48. Anthony Okuogume 11 votes, not elected
49. Ajak Majok 739 votes, elected deputy councillor
50. Faisa Egge 150 votes, elected
