Ursu wins OB duel against AfD challenger Wippel

Octavian Ursu (CDU) remains Lord Mayor of Görlitz. The 58-year-old won 55.8 percent of the vote in the second round of voting. He thus once again prevailed over his challenger Sebastian Wippel from the AfD. According to the city's website, 44.2 percent of voters voted for him.

The second round of the mayoral election was necessary because none of the candidates achieved an absolute majority in the first round of voting on May 10 - i.e. more than 50 percent of the vote. Even then, Ursu was ahead of state parliament member Wippel (44.3 percent) with 49.1 percent. Two other candidates were far behind.

House collapse overshadows election campaign

A total of around 44,500 eligible voters in Görlitz were called to vote for the head of the city. The voter turnout was 56.8 percent. This is Ursu's second term in office. Seven years ago, he had already prevailed against AfD candidate Wippel in the second round of voting.

The current election campaign was overshadowed by the collapse of a residential building in the city. After an extensive search, three people were recovered dead from the rubble.