Octavian Ursu, a German of Romanian origin and a candidate of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has won a second term as mayor of the city of G\u00f6rlitz, eastern Germany, after defeating Alternative for Germany (AfD) far-right party candidate Sebastian Wippel in the second round.<\/p>\n
The election in G\u00f6rlitz was watched closely, as the German far-right continued to get strong results in the east of the country, according to Digi24<\/a>.<\/p>\n A total of 44,500 people were eligible to vote. The CDU candidate secured 55.8% of the vote, while the AfD representative received 44.2%. Voter turnout was 56.8%.<\/p>\n Ursu also won in the second round against the same candidate in 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n Born in Bucharest in 1967, Octavian Ursu settled in Germany in 1990, after completing his musical studies. He worked as a solo trumpeter for the Neuen Lausitzer Philharmonic in G\u00f6rlitz before entering politics. He has been a member of the City Council since 2009 and has held the position of mayor of the city since 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n The mayor of Timi\u0219oara, Dominic Fritz, who is also a German and Romanian citizen, sent a message of support<\/a> for Ursu after the elections.<\/p>\n \u201cRomanian and European Octavian Ursu has won a second term as mayor in Germany, in G\u00f6rlitz. Once again, he defeated a far-right candidate in the second round. It is his victory, but it is also a victory of European values,\u201d said Fritz, who also leads the reformist center-right Save Romania Union party in Romania.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Timi\u0219oara mayor noted that G\u00f6rlitz, a city located right on the border with Poland, operates its heating system together with the Polish city of Zgorzelec. He also highlighted the ethnic diversity of the city.<\/p>\n G\u00f6rlitz is sometimes referred to as G\u00f6rliwood for the many films shot there. Among them were Wes Anderson\u2019s The Grand Budapest Hotel<\/em>, Quentin Tarantino\u2019s Inglourious Basterds<\/em>, or George Clooney\u2019s The Monuments Men<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n