Octavian Ursu Wins Second Term as Mayor of Görlitz in Runoff Against AfD Challenger

A Repeat of 2019

This marks the second time Ursu has defeated Wippel in a runoff. Seven years ago, in June 2019, the two faced a similar contest. On that occasion, Wippel led after the first round, but Ursu won the runoff decisively with 55.2 percent of the vote.

Ursu, 58, now begins his second term leading the city of roughly 55,000 residents. His candidacy was supported by the Greens as well as the local alliances "Kommunalpolitisches Netzwerk Motor Görlitz" and "Bürger für Görlitz."

Wippel, a member of the Saxony state parliament, had sought to unseat the incumbent. The AfD politician improved slightly on his 2019 runoff performance, when he received 44.8 percent, but was unable to close the gap.

Voting Process and Turnout

Polling stations were open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The city had indicated that a preliminary final result was expected around 8 p.m. The election was conducted as a straightforward second round, with only the two top candidates from the first round appearing on the ballot.

The outcome reinforces the CDU's hold on the mayor's office in Görlitz, a city that has drawn national attention for its political dynamics near the Polish border. The result also mirrors the 2019 pattern, in which a first-round AfD lead was overturned in the runoff.

Political Context

Local observers noted that the broad alliance backing Ursu, spanning from the conservative CDU to the Greens and civic groups, likely helped consolidate the anti-AfD vote in the second round. No major irregularities were reported during the voting process.

The city published the final figures on its official website shortly after counting concluded. The election was covered by regional broadcaster MDR as part of its evening program "MDR SACHSENSPIEGEL."