cnn
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A Syrian who arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015 has won a mayoral election in the south-western German state of Baden-Wurttemberg.
Rayan Alshebal, who left his hometown As Suwayda in Syria eight years ago, ran as an independent candidate in the Ostelsheim municipality. He won 55.41% of the vote on Sunday, defeating two German candidates, Marco Strauss and Mathias Fey.
German local broadcaster SWR reported on Monday that the 29-year-old was greeted by locals who cheered his victory, calling it “sensational”.
“Today, Ostelsheim has sent an example of broad-mindedness and cosmopolitanism to all of Germany,” he said, according to German public broadcaster ZDF. “This is not something that can be taken lightly in a conservative, rural area.”
The first call Alshebal made after her win was to her mother in Syria, who was thrilled with the news, SWR reported.
The association of municipalities of Baden-Württemberg said Alshabal is the first person of Syrian origin to contest and win the mayoral post. He will begin his role in June.
Ostelsheim residents have welcomed their incoming mayor. “The fairy tale has come true, and the right man has become our mayor,” Annette Keck, who lives in the village, told SWR.
One of his opponents, Strauss, congratulated Alshebal. “I wish you all the best and also ask for support for Mr. Alshebal for our shared Ostelsheim,” he said on Facebook.
State Integration Minister Manne Lucha said Alshebal’s victory showed that diversity is a natural part of Baden-Württemberg. He said, “I would be very pleased if Ryan Alshebal’s election would encourage more people with migration histories to run for political office.”
Not everyone is so warm towards the 29-year-old. The ZDF reported that Syrians received hateful comments during the campaign.
The young politician went door-to-door to promote his election program, and “the experiences were mainly positive”, but there was also a minority of far-right voters in Ostelsheim who did not want to accept him because of his Syrian roots, Alshebal told ZDF.
According to his campaign website, Alshabal, born in Syria to a school teacher and agricultural engineer, described his life as carefree until his 20s.
At the time, the protests that began in 2011 against the Syrian government quickly turned into a chaotic war. The fighting and subsequent rise of ISIS forced 10.6 million people to flee their homes by the end of 2015 – nearly half of Syria’s pre-war population.
According to his website, Alshabal faced the dilemma of enlisting for military service with the Syrian Army or leaving the country.
While many Syrians became internally displaced or fled to countries in the region, others like Alshabal made the dangerous journey to Europe. He was 21 at the time, and said he traveled from Türkiye to the Greek island of Lesbos in a rubber dinghy.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel implemented a brief open-door policy in 2015, allowing some 1.2 million asylum seekers into the country over the following years, including Alshebal.
The move sparked a sharp reaction in Germany and led to the summer of 2015 and the sudden growth of the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Once in Germany, Alschabel lived close to Ostelsheim and said that at the time he felt “there is only one thing you can do: get back on your feet quickly and start investing in your future quickly.”
For the last seven years he worked in the administration of the neighboring city of Althengstette Town Hall. He said in his campaign, he drew from his experience and made digital access to public administration services one of the priorities. Flexible child care and climate protection are also on their agenda.
Alschable, who is a member of the Green Party and now holds German citizenship, pledged during his campaign that he would move to Ostelsheim after being elected as mayor.