On 8 and 9 June, in conjunction with the European elections, the Italian administrative elections took place. On this occasion, we went to discover the candidates of Albanian origin in Emilia Romagna.
Klaudia Kumaraku is an Italian-Albanian citizen born on 30 January 1993 in Lushnjë, where she lived until March 2001, before moving to Italy. Here, after completing her studies, she carried out the Civil Service, living in contact with the territories affected by the 2012 earthquake, an experience that changed her life, helping her to understand her vocation: working in the public sector, at the service of citizens. You are currently employed by the public administration and over the years you have specialized in accounting. Always passionate about politics, after the attack on the CGIL on 9 October 2021 she joined the Democratic Party, convinced that everyone had to make their own contribution to avoid similar anti-democratic episodes. In recent years you have played in the Young Democrats, where you held the role of treasurer.
In her free time, Klaudia enjoys reading, taking walks around the neighborhood with her mother, and going out to dinner with friends.
Klaudia was elected to the municipal council of Carpi, a municipality of 72,751 inhabitants, located in the province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. For her, this is her first term.
What are the main proposals of your program and which do you think is the most important for the future of Carpi?
My program focuses mainly on two topics that are very dear to under-30s: the issue of rent and financial education.
Home is essential for reach independence and/or to build a family; Unfortunately, the limited availability of vacant homes makes rentals increasingly less accessible to young people and for this reason I intend to propose a mapping of vacant homes and collaborate with the property owners.
I believe financial education is a topic that needs to be adequately explored and, for this reason, I would like to propose free courses or in any case at controlled prices, so that young people can be provided with the necessary tools to understand the functioning of a pension fund or to understand a pay slip. In truth, the project that is closest to my heart concerns second generation kids; for good luck I don’t want to talk about it yet, but I can say that, if I managed to complete it, it would represent a huge victory for civilization.
What do you think convinced the citizens of Carpi to choose you and your list?
I ran with the Democratic Party which is very strong in Carpi; ours is a city where the left has always won.
Furthermore, I represent a bit of a novelty in these elections, with only three years of militancy behind me and I think people appreciated my sincerity and desire to get involved. With many voters and supporters, I have formed strong bonds that will continue and that I will cultivate even after this electoral campaign.
How do you think dual citizenship and multicultural experience have influenced your political path and relationship with voters?
The first adjective that comes to mind is empathy. I grew up with a residence card and was often in line at police stations: this allowed me to learn to understand people, their needs and find ways to help them, with a non-judgmental approach.
What is your personal connection to Albania and how has it influenced your personal and political identity?
I have an excellent bond with Albania, I was born there and I keep it in my heart. Now I try to go there at least every two years to see loved ones again. In Albania I have always seen too many inequalities between citizens and this fueled in me a strong sense of justice, which then became one of the main factors that pushed me to get involved in politics and then to run for office.
Have you ever faced difficulties or prejudice because of your foreign name? How did you handle these situations?
By Italian standards I have a “peculiar” name, with three “Ks”, so it’s easy to notice. In the past I was afraid that people wouldn’t look past my origins, but fortunately I was wrong and now the “K”s helped me get elected and are a source of pride for me.
What are, in your opinion, the main challenges for integration in Italy and what concrete proposals would you suggest to improve migration policies?
Surely the “answer” to Giorgia Meloni’s problem is not a real solution: outsourcing the management of migrants in Italy to Albania solves absolutely nothing, it is a waste of public money and will only create problems for both countries and above all for who will end up in those centers, not being integrated in any way.
Until a few years ago, a widespread reception network existed in Italy, which both helped people to integrate and the countries in which they lived to recover and return to life. We should put that system back on its feet and above all repeal the Bossi-Fini Law, which prevents us from creating safe channels to arrive in Italy legally.
What differences do you notice in the way you and your parents experience and perceive Italy?
At first, when we moved, the differences between how my brother and I experienced Italy compared to our parents were much more marked, due to the Albanian lifestyle my parents had grown up with. Now, however, the differences I see are only generational ones, which naturally exist between parents and children, while compared to living in Italy, to Italian habits and daily life I see no differences: we live everything in an absolutely natural way.
What is your native language and how does it influence your work and daily life?
My mother tongue is Albanian, as I was born in Albania, where I lived until I turned eight. Having attended first grade in my home country, I learned to write in Albanian and even if it’s not perfect I’m still proud of it. As a family we speak both languages, often mixing them in the same sentence. I tend to think and reason more in Italian.
What are the priorities for Carpi in the coming years in your opinion and how do you intend to address them?
The priorities are certainly to encourage sustainable mobility, pay attention to greenery, strengthen public services, such as healthcare and bring more events to the streets to have a lively and safe city.
Who are your role models in politics and why?
I am currently the secretary of the PD, the party with Elly Schlein, who won the PD primaries against all odds, and the deputy mayor of Bologna Emily Clancy, two left-wing women with strong ideals, who are not afraid to assert themselves and materialize in politics and administration.
What are your expectations and hopes for the future of Carpi and its citizens?
I hope we no longer talk about safety in a negative sense. I would like citizens to feel safe and more active, I would like our city to be able to attract the many workers who have their jobs in Carpi but do not live there, because it would mean that our community is able to welcome new Carpi residents and Carpigiane, exactly as he did with me 23 years ago now.
