Eight years after fleeing his country, Syria, Ryyan Alshebl was elected mayor of a small German town.
Ryyan Alshebl, 29, has gained unexpected notoriety after his resounding success in the municipal elections in Ostelsheim. For this young man who fled the war, this election is a symbol in Germany, a country which has welcomed millions of refugees since the 2015 migration crisis.
And by winning the ballot with 55% of the vote, he thus becomes the first Syrian to have obtained asylum and to win the post of mayor in the country, reports our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault. The trust placed in him by voters is “ a sign of tolerance and openness to the world for all of Germany “, rejoiced Ryyan Alshebl when saluting his victory. “ All ssensational implement “, he adds on Facebook.
A long journey
The son of a secondary school teacher and an agricultural engineer, Alshebl writes on its website that he grew up in a Druze family, a religious minority that today represents around 3% of the Syrian population. Ten years ago, he was a student in Syria. Refusing to do his military service and wanting to flee the conflict that is ravaging his country, he decides to leave it, like many others, in 2015. This is how he begins his long journey. He joins Lebanon then goes to Turkey. From there, he embarked on a small boat across the sea to reach Greece, from where he joined the Balkan route.
Once he arrived in Germany, the mayor of a small neighboring town noticed him and offered him an internship, then training as an administrative employee which then led to a job. Ryyan Alshebl therefore obtains German nationality, takes his card with the Greens even if he presented himself 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 a priori. The success was there 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 caused a reaction even in the ministries. According Vanity Fair, the Minister for Integration, Manne Lucha, hailed this success. ” I would be very happy if the election of Ryyan Alshebl encourages more people with migration backgrounds to run for political office “, he argued.