The colour of politics remains mostly white

Immigrants still lag behind in both voting numbers and representation

Only 14 politicians from ethnic backgrounds other than Danish found a seat in the councils of the country's ten largest councils, even though they are home to most of the nation's immigrants.

Before the November 19 election, there were 24 local politicians from different ethnic backgrounds.

Kolding's mayor, John Petersen (V), said that the trend is a positive one.

“I see it as a healthy sign If Kolding residents with Somali, Turkish or other backgrounds chose a candidate from a Danish background,” Petersen told Ugebrevet A4 newspaper. 

Petersen said that the results show that immigrants feel fully integrated in Kolding.

“They see themselves first and foremost themselves as citizens in Kolding,” he said. “They are not looking back to where they originally came from.”

In Copenhagen, only four members of the City Council are from immigrant backgrounds. In Aarhus, there are three, and there is only one council member with immigrant roots on the councils of Odense, Esbjerg and Frederiksberg.

Social researcher Christian Elmelund-Præstekær from the University of Southern Denmark said that the low numbers leave large parts of the population under-represented.

“When there are so few immigrants in local politics it creates a vicious circle,” he told Ugebrevet A4. “Voters and potential candidates start believing that a local politician is a white, middle-aged white man, making immigrants less likely to run and vote.”

Aalborg gets first ever immigrant on city council
The northern Jutland city of Aalborg elected its first ever immigrant to sit on the city council during the last election, Nuuradiin S Hussein (S).

He was pleased that immigrants helped him in his bid for office, but he also said that ethnic Danes voted for him as well.

“Minority groups in Aalborg have supported me 100 percent, but I also got a lot of votes in areas where not many minority citizens live and that means a lot to me,” Hussein told Ugebrevet A4.

Hussein believes that the political parties need to do more to help immigrants win elections.

“There are many talented people from other ethnic backgrounds, and the political parties need to do more to get them lined up,” he said.

Another problem is getting immigrants to the polls. Although the turnout is increasing, the level of immigrant voters remains well below the national average. In some areas, the numbers of immigrants voting is less than half the national average. Researchers say that although the numbers are going up, immigrant voters need to see more candidates that they can relate to.

While the turnout for last week's elections was up to 72 percent nationwide, the turnout in the predominately immigrant neighbourhood of Vollsmose near Odense fell by four percentage points to 49 percent.




  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.

  • Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Parents in Denmark reject social media monitoring 

    Most parents in Denmark reject using social media parental controls despite knowing about them. A new study questions the effectiveness of these tools in ensuring children’s online safety.