5 Albanian candidates win in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland

Le Canton27 reporter and Lenard Ferati 

 In some cantons of Switzerland, Zurich, Lucerne, Ticino, and Geneva, parliamentary elections were held, where the Albanian diaspora had been mobilized for a month to vote for their best candidates.

The parliamentary elections in the Canton of Geneva, the first round held on April 3rd (and the second on April 30th, 2023), with over 600 candidates participating, including Albanian candidates, was reported by the Swiss Albanian newspaper Le Canton27.ch.

It should be noted that there are around 30,000 Albanians, mostly from Kosovo, in the Canton of Geneva. While the right to vote belongs to 16,700 Albanian speakers.

The Canton of Geneva has also been enriched by 5 Albanian deputies from the parliamentary elections, Xhevrie Osmani, Leonard Ferati, Sami Gashi, Skender Salihi, and Arber Jahiu.

One of the winning candidates, Leonard Ferati (PS), stated to the Swiss newspaper Le Canton27.ch that "this victory of mine and my colleagues, the Albanian candidates, is more than a victory, it is a historic success and victory not only in our Canton of Geneva but also at a wider level in Switzerland, since for the first time in parliamentary history in Switzerland, 5 Albanian deputies are elected in one canton, while five years ago we had only one."

The three candidates who secured their position as State Councillors of the Government of Geneva for the next five years (Thierri Apotheloz, Fabienne Fischer, and Pierre Maudet) congratulated the Albanian candidates on their victory, stating to the Swiss newspaper Le Canton27.ch that "the Albanian community in the Canton of Geneva is not only an example of integration but also an ambassador of their country. Today's victory in the Swiss elections, winning five seats in our parliament, is evidence of this. Every community brings their dynamism to Geneva, as well as Albanians, and this diversity contributes significantly to the prosperity of our local economy as well as the cultural richness of Geneva," said Mr. Apotheloz.