Sham Shahab Ahmed, 17 from Sulaimani, is a 5th grader living in Netherlands, and she is dubbed the youngest candidate for the Netherlands` Municipal Elections; Sham is a candidate for the ‘partij van de arbeid’ (PVDA) party, meaning work party, a social democratic party.
Answering a question on how she decided to nominate herself for the elections, she stated that she decided to participate upon the request from members of her party, who asked her in private to be their candidate. She also pointed out that her parents, members of her party, and one of her teachers supported her to go for the elections.
Despite being from a family with political backgrounds, which has boosted her love for politics, Sham is currently a member of a charity organization that, as she claims, “has no ties to the party she is a candidate for,” and that their job is to provide food for families that cannot afford it.
According to election laws in Netherlands, one only has the chance to nominate him/herself for elections when they are 18; for this purpose, Sham stated that if I am termed a winner in the elections, I would not be able to fulfill my duties for a month until I turn 18, but after that I will be able to do my job. Sham also equipped that she would like to do politics if she is to return to Kurdistan Region on day.
The party for which Sham is a candidate ranked second in 2010 election in Netherlands and has 30 chairs in the parliament. It is now working in the government, and it has been established in 1946.
The party for which Sham is a candidate ranked second in 2010 election in Netherlands and has 30 chairs in the parliament. It is now working in the government, and it has been established in 1946.
