An 18-year-old Azerbaijani in Swedish politics

In the upcoming municipal elections in the Swedish city of Gävle, the oldest and the youngest candidates have drawn attention.

Ken Kubulenso, a 95-year-old representative of the Green Party, and Rihad Alekperov, an 18-year-old candidate from the Moderates, are competing for seats on the Gävle municipal council.

The SVT television channel brought the two candidates together to learn their views on life, politics, and society.

Ken Kubulenso was born in Jamaica. He was 8 years old when the Second World War began.

The channel notes that Rihad Alekperov was born in Sweden in the year the first iPhone went on sale, and just a few days ago he celebrated his 18th birthday, reaching adulthood.

Despite the 77-year age difference, both candidates share a common desire to change society for the better.

During the conversation, Rihad Alekperov, speaking about the freedoms that today's young people enjoy, admitted that he considers life in the past to have been simpler.

"I would have liked to experience a time when everything was simpler. There were no mobile phones or internet. Everyone watched the same channels. People did not have such an enormous choice," he said.

The candidates were also asked whether free will exists. According to Alekperov, a person's decisions are influenced by social and psychological factors, as well as by the environment. Kubulenso, for his part, noted that a person is able to think more freely when he is in a favorable environment.

During the interview, Rihad Alekperov also raised an issue on which his opinion differs from his own party's position.

He stated that he supports maintaining the state monopoly on the sale of alcohol in Sweden — the Systembolaget system. Meanwhile, many members of the Moderate Party favor abolishing this monopoly.

"I believe that the alcohol monopoly and restrictions on alcohol consumption are the right thing. I myself do not drink and am not a supporter of making alcohol more accessible to an even greater number of people," Rihad said.

Source: Qafqazinfo