31-year-old Sindi Manushi became the first Albanian-born to be elected mayor in Italy. She won the local elections in the small city of Pieve di Cador.

Speaking to Euronews Albania, Sindi, who was born in Elbasan, recounted the difficult journey that led to her triumph in the local elections. Originally a lawyer, she says that politics is a passion of hers.

“I was in doubt, whether to speak to the media of my campaign. I thought maybe it would bring me bad luck. So, I chose to speak after winning. As any other immigrant, my start here was not easy. My family was lucky to come to a small town, where everyone knows each-other. There has been an improvement for Albanians in the last few years, but in the ‘90s we had a bad reputation, which was undeserved. There has been discrimination against me, from the part of the population belonging to the xenophobic Italian far-right,” confesses Sindi.

Asked to comment on the state of politics in her homeland, Albania, Sindi made the following comparison.

“Politics in Albania is regarded as a cake where everyone wants a part. I don’t need this cake. I’m involved in politics because it’s my passion and because it’s the right thing to do in the city I live in. I want to give my all and do good things in the coming years,” she said.