A 51-year-old immigrant has been elected mayor of a town in eastern Germany after beating a candidate from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a campaign that drew international attention.
The vote was seen as a pointer for German state elections on 1 September in both Saxony and in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg.
Ursu said his victory showed that most residents in Goerlitz were in favour of keeping the town open to foreigners.
“It was not a vote for Mr Ursu but more a vote against the AfD candidate, against me,” said Wippel.