BRUSSELS (Halbeeg News) – Sahra Mohamed Khalid has become first Somali born immigrant to take a political post after she was elected to represent Leuven city in Belgium.
The 21-year-old Khalid was voted to represent Belgium Socialist Party (SPA) as the newest council member of Leuven city.
She wrested the political post by garnering 772 votes in the election.
Ms. Khalid who participated Sunday’s election in Belgium has made history for becoming the first person from Somalia to win a seat in the city council.
The young politician who is the second year student at Leuven University in the faculty of international studies has been termed as a hardworking woman with ambition and determination in politics.
Welcoming the victory of her daughter, Jamila Suber, the mother of Ms. Khalid said she was pleased with achievements of her daughter.
“We are happy. Since when she was young, My daughter had that ambition of becoming politician and today she made history. We are proud of her,” Mrs. Suber said.
Ms. Khalid will have a six-year term mandate before fresh elections are held.
#Breaking: 21 yrs old, Somali-Immigrant Sahra Khaliif, won the election of city council, Leuven Belgium. Sahra, from Belgian Socialist Party (SPA) will be the first Somali-Immigrant, who wins election. Her victory will add the number to many ethnic Somalis who won elections west pic.twitter.com/rjt4Bf8YcN
— Sahra Abdi (@SahraCabdi) October 16, 2018
The win of Ms. Khalid comes on the heel of victories achieved by Somali origin politicians across Europe and the United States.
In August, Leila Ali Elmi had become the first-ever Somali woman to be elected as an MP in Sweden.
Ms. Elmi has also made history as the first East African woman to be voted into the Riksdag, as the Swedish parliament is known.
Running on a Green Party ticket, she will represent the Angered District in Gothenburg.
It will not be her first time representing her people as she was a member of the Angered district council since 2014.
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