The electoral commission of the Municipality of Naples met to complete the final formalities required for the proclamation of a non-EU citizen as a representative, with the right to speak, at the City Council. The results are known: the winner of the elections is Viraj Prasanna Mihindukulasuriya Fernando, a Sri Lankan national born in 1977. Viraj was elected with 504 votes, which was a majority in the second and third municipal seats. Rajib Sayed, originally from Bangladesh, born in 1987, instead obtained 230 votes, mainly in the polling stations of the second and fourth municipalities. “I wish Viraj all the best for this remarkable election result. It is – explains the councilor Alessandra Sardu – her first political experience, like all the non-EU citizens who for the first time were able to express their vote to elect a representative in the political institutions. It was a very complex election due to the strict requirements we set, including residency in the Municipality of Naples, a regular residence permit and no criminal charges against you. The barriers to signing candidatures were also significant, with many aspirants failing to reach the quorum and therefore failing to run. Viraj will remain in the history of the Municipality of Naples for having been the first additional councilor to the City Council of Naples, and therefore the first non-EU citizen who had the determination and courage to put himself on the line. Best wishes, with the same intensity and participation, also go to Rajib who has equally achieved an excellent result. Both of them experienced this electoral campaign with great enthusiasm, dragging us all into this beautiful adventure. The invitation I extend to both of them is to work together to best represent the non-EU communities present in Naples, and to preserve the very important heritage of human capital with which they have come into contact in recent days by traveling among the various communities and presenting their electoral programs". For Sardu “we have a very important path to travel together to realize the principles of the Statute of the Municipality of Naples, which is based on hospitality, integration and mutual respect. So far this experience has been very useful, also in allowing non-EU communities to talk to each other, and make them understand that in this city there is no racism and discrimination against them. The Deputy Councilor will have to act as a spokesperson for the needs of non-EU communities, but will also be the vehicle through which the administration will ask communities to actively engage in contributing to the growth of our city. We're truly thrilled today. We've achieved a historic result, and we firmly believe that the path to improving our city is through integration, achieved with concrete tools that foster participation in political life."
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