In most municipalities across Denmark, the 2025 local elections will come and go with little or no international presence on the ballot. Some areas have only one international candidate. Many have none. But Lolland? Lolland has three. Two of them you can meet today, and the third one at a later date.
Meet Candice Progler-Thomsen and Summer Juul Andersen, two women who moved to Denmark, built their lives here, and are now stepping into politics with a shared mission: to make Lolland a place where internationals are not just welcome but part of the decision-making.
Candice is no stranger to the international experience. With a career spanning the US, Saudi Arabia, and Denmark, she’s worked in everything from talent attraction to onboarding and inclusion, especially during her time at Copenhagen Business School. But it was when she moved to Lolland that her work took root locally. In 2021, before the Femern project boom and before the opening of Lolland International School, she founded the International Community Lolland-Falster. It’s been the go-to platform for newcomers in the region ever since, offering everything from networking to cultural seminars. Her free workshops, like the one she hosted on Danish democracy and elections, are helping internationals understand their rights.
Summer’s journey started in Texas, passed through six countries, and landed in Lolland in 2019. With an MBA and 20+ years in construction, hospitality, HR, and finance, she now works on the Femern project as a reporting officer. She knows what it means to be part of a multicultural workforce, but also what it means to feel like an outsider in a new town. Her campaign is about bridging that gap. As chair of the International Community Lolland-Falster and member of Lolland’s Integration Council, she’s seen the growing pains of a region that’s changing fast. Her priorities? Faster support for newcomers, better collaboration between the kommune and businesses, and making sure international families have what they need to build a life here.
What’s striking is that neither of them waited for politics to invite them in. They built the infrastructure themselves (networks, programs, and platforms), and now they’re ready to help shape policy from inside the system.
Lolland’s situation isn’t just a local story. It’s a glimpse of what Denmark could be. The country is changing. And yet, representation in local politics still lags far behind. Too often, internationals are talked about but not talked with. These elections are a chance to change that dynamic.
So if you’re reading this from Copenhagen, Viborg, Esbjerg, or anywhere in between, take a cue from Lolland: support the internationals running in your kommune. Share their names. Ask questions. Offer help. And if there’s no one running who represents you, maybe it’s time to step up.
Politics in Denmark may look like a closed club, but on Lolland, the door is wide open.
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