Germany: Ryyan Alshebl, Syrian refugee elected mayor of his commune

Ryyan Alshebl visits the residents of Ostelsheim during the municipal election campaign, March 22, 2023. dpa/picture alliance via Getty I - picture alliance

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Eight years after fleeing his home country of Syria, Ryyan Alshebl was elected mayor of a small German town.

Advertising

Read more

Ryyan Alshebl, 29, gained unexpected notoriety after his success in the municipal elections in Ostelsheim. For this young man who fled war, this election is quite a symbol in Germany, a country that has welcomed millions of refugees since the migration crisis of 2015.

And by winning the election with 55% of the vote, he becomes the first Syrian to have been granted asylum and to win a mayoral post in the country, reports our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibaut. The trust placed in him by voters is "a sign of tolerance and openness to the world for the whole of Germany," Ryyan Alshebl said as he hailed his victory. "Everything issensational," he added on Facebook.

A long journey

The son of a secondary school teacher and an agricultural engineer, Alshebl writes on his website that he grew up in a Druze family, a religious minority that now makes up about 3 percent of Syria's population. Ten years ago, he was a student in Syria. Refusing to do his military service and wanting to flee the conflict ravaging his country, he decided to leave it, like many others, in 2015. This is how he begins his long journey. He reached Lebanon and then reached Turkey. From there, he embarked on a small boat across the sea to Greece, from where he joined the Balkan route.

Once he arrived in Germany, the mayor of a small town nearby noticed him and offered him an internship, then training as an administrative employee which then led to a job. Ryyan Alshebl therefore obtained German nationality, took his card with the Greens even though he stood as an independent candidate.

For three weeks, he went door-to-door in the village of 2,500 inhabitants to convince voters and fight against possible preconceptions. It was a success even if a small minority attacked it. Ryyad Alshebl will take office in June to implement his policy with priorities such as early childhood, public transport, environmental protection and social cohesion.

His election provoked a reaction even in the ministries. According to Vanity Fair, Integration Minister Manne Lucha hailed the achievement. "I would be very happy if the election of Ryyan Alshebl encourages more people with migration backgrounds to run for political office," he said.

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

• Germany
• Immigration