Three Afghan women have won seats in local council elections in the United Kingdom. Rabia Nasimi, Shahira Karimi, and Peymana Asad, members of the Labour Party, were successful in different constituencies across London and have joined these local councils.
Rabia Nasimi won in the West London local council election, receiving over 1,200 votes, and was announced as one of the three successful candidates. She left Afghanistan with her family during the first Taliban regime, when she was only five years old, and migrated to the UK.
After the election results were announced, Nasimi wrote on the social media platform X that she feels honored to be elected as a Labour Party council member for the East Acton area. She also described the election campaign as long and challenging.
Rabia Nasimi arrived in the UK in 1999. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London, and then completed a master’s program in the same field at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge, researching second-generation immigrants, identity, homeland, and language.
Peymana Asad also expressed gratitude to the voters who trusted her for a third term. In a statement, she said that during the election campaign she faced verbal attacks, accusations, and various threats.
Asad said that some people targeted her because of her political views and even sent death threats to silence her. She emphasized that despite these pressures, she has won the election for the third time and received the highest number of votes.
The results of the UK local elections show that the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, faced a decline in public support in local councils across England as well as in voting in Scotland and Wales.
In contrast, the Reform UK party, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru in Wales, and the Green Party managed to make gains in several constituencies and secure more seats.
These elections were held for 136 local councils in England and the local parliaments of Scotland and Wales, and are considered one of the most important tests of public opinion for the Labour government ahead of the 2029 general elections.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
