Sina Qawim is in 12th place on the Left Party’s list for the municipal council election in Östersund.
– I am passionate about people’s equal value and rights and the Left Party fulfills the demands that I myself make, he says.
He is one of the few younger people who is on the county electoral rolls in the county. This is shown by a review made by SVT.
Among the approximately 1,100 who appear on all electoral lists in Jämtland county for municipality, region and parliament, only 75 are between 18 and 29 years old. That’s 7 percent. More than half are instead 55 years or older.
Political scientist: Is a problem
– It is a problem. After all, we should have a parliament that reflects the population, which should be representative in both opinions but also age, gender and where you live, etc., says political scientist Stefan Dahlberg and continues:
– And if younger people don’t stand up, we have a legitimacy problem. Then we have the views of an electorate that are not represented to the same extent as they would have been.
According to him, the party’s membership has decreased over time, including the youth associations.
– So the parties have a lot of work to do. It’s about footwork there and recruiting new members to the youth associations.
Fewer get involved on a voluntary basis
Why do you think it is due to fewer people getting involved politically?
– I don’t really know, but we are a country that has gone from the collective to the individual. It has become more difficult to get people to get involved on a voluntary basis, says Stefan Dahlberg.
Sina Qawim hopes more young people get involved politically.
– If you care about your future, you must find a way to make a difference for your country, he says.
Hear more in the video above about why Sina Qawim thinks young people should get involved politically.