Seventeen political parties will contest the Eindhoven municipal elections on 18 March 2026. The official candidate lists highlight a significant number of international and bicultural residents standing for office. News Brainport is keen on the region’s social diversity and civic participation. So, we have done a round-up of the internationals running in the municipal elections 2026.
GroenLinks-PvdA
The joint GroenLinks-PvdA (Green Left- Labour Party) list features several candidates with international backgrounds. Gisèle Mambre, born in Curaçao, is believed to be the first Caribbean-Dutch council member in the city’s history. She is joined by Jane Ayu Nurlyta, an Indonesian-born healthcare professional who is eligible to run despite not holding a Dutch passport. Other candidates on the list include Zeynep Demir, who moved from Turkey as a child, and writer Chenoor Zagros, originally from Iran. Several bicultural candidates born in the Netherlands, such as Alderperson Samir Toub from Morocco and former Alderperson Yasin Torunoglu from Turkey. Cüneyt Ürk, Murat Karataş (current council member), Serkan Horasan,Suzan Yılmaz-Yergök and Ahmet Almis, all from Turkey, are also featured on the list, along with Odet Rosenkrantz of Indonesian origin.
D66
D66 has put forward several candidates with international ties, including Alina Totti. Originally from Romania, Totti has lived in seven countries and worked for European institutions before joining the Province of Noord-Brabant as a policy advisor. She began campaigning for the rights of labour migrants during the pandemic and now aims to represent both long-term residents and newcomers. Volkan Memiş, the party vice chair and an economics teacher, is of Turkish origin. The party’s list also includes Volodymyr Bevkh, a Ukrainian national who moved to Eindhoven to study and remains active in the local Ukrainian community.
PvdD
The Partij voor de Dieren (PvdD-Party for the animals)) has also embraced international representation by welcoming Katja Lumme. Originally from Finland, she has been an active advocate for sustainability and previously served as the city’s climate mayor.
EvE
The new party Eindhoven voor Elkaar (EvE), led by former PvdA councillor Tjeerd Ritmeester, features international candidates such as Jacinto Zimmerman from Curaçao and Adebolaji Ayomide Kemiki Olaleye, who has roots in Nigeria and Spain. The list is further diversified by tricultural Mathuya Thampirasah, with roots from India and Sri Lanka, who moved to the Netherlands as a child. Sreekanth Chirayath from India, the Indian community is one of the largest immigrant groups in the Brainport region.
VVD
The VVD, People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie), list includes Vincent Yeersheng Alafate, who has a Uyghur-Kazakh background and has lived in China for half his life. He has a professional background with the Municipality of Eindhoven and the Dutch immigration service, and he is an active advocate for inclusion within the international and queer communities.
CDA
The CDA, Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) list also reflects this international spirit, featuring Miriam Frosi, an Italian-born councillor and knight who focuses on connecting new and long-term residents. She is joined by newcomer Cindy Reker, a criminology expert with Surinamese roots. Fouad Arrabbany, a second-generation Moroccan with relevant experience in the social sector, is also in the running. Libaan Mahamud, born to Somali parents, is at 17 on the list. Following him on the list is Sito Panchoe, born in Suriname but raised in Eindhoven. From the Indian subcontinent are Chaitali Sengupta, Supriya Vij, and Vishwanath NG, all active on different social fronts. The list continues with Matheus Sales de Moura, with Brazilian roots; Abdullah Arab, whose parents fled the war in Syria; and Noa Noa Labit, a social activist with mixed heritage from the Philippines and Polynesia.
The order of the parties is the same as the order of the information presented to News Brainport and does not reflect any priority. News Brainport will present a continuation of this on other political parties …
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