Eindhoven Elects International Residents to City Council

When Alina Totti moved from Romania to the Netherlands seven years ago, she never imagined she'd help govern one of its fastest-growing cities. But Eindhoven voters had other plans.

Totti, who ranked seventh on the D66 party list, won a council seat anyway through personal votes. She's joined by Chaitali Sengupta, an Indian writer who lived in Eindhoven for 20 years and claimed a seat despite ranking 14th on the CDA party list.

Their wins reflect a quiet revolution happening in this southern Dutch city. Nearly half of Eindhoven's 250,000 residents have foreign roots, and for the first time, political parties actively courted their votes with English-language campaigns and multilingual debates.

The strategy worked. D66 and CDA parties, which fielded multiple international candidates, gained two and three seats respectively. Voter turnout climbed from 42% to 44%, though officials can't confirm if immigrant voters drove the increase.

"Eindhoven is not only a city that attracts global talent, but one that is willing to trust it with public responsibility," Totti told reporters after her win. She campaigned specifically to inform EU citizens and five-year residents they have voting rights.

Totti wants to champion labor migrants from Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Spain who often arrive through agencies but face exploitation and homelessness. "While everyone talks about expats with high incomes, very few people look at the biggest group of internationals," she said. "These people have a really tough life."

Sengupta, a practicing Hindu, found common ground with the CDA party's family values. Her priorities include language cafes where Dutch learners can practice with native speakers and better integration programs connecting immigrants to neighborhood groups.

The international candidates earned 4,003 votes combined, equivalent to 2.5 seats. D66 leader Chris Dams organized English-language debates that drew 200 international residents, creating space for voices previously shut out of local politics.

The Ripple Effect

The timing matters. Chip manufacturer ASML is expanding with 20,000 new jobs, backed by €2.5 billion in government infrastructure investment. The city has grown 6% annually since 2021, straining healthcare, schools and housing.

With international residents now holding council seats, policy decisions affecting housing shortages and public services will include perspectives from those experiencing these challenges firsthand. Previous councils debated population growth without hearing from the newcomers fueling it.

Miriam Frosi, the Italian-born CDA group leader who's spent eight years pushing for multilingual city information, celebrated the diversity breakthrough. "The internationals on our list have made a tremendous contribution," she said.

Eindhoven just proved that when cities grow with immigrants, those immigrants deserve seats at the decision-making table.