SaysWho? Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 https://www.npr.org/2019/06/17/733302298/germanys-far-right-party-defeated-in-closely-watched-mayoral-election Quote In the small eastern town of Görlitz, near the border with Poland, Octavian Ursu, a 51-year-old Romanian immigrant and classical musician, easily won Sunday's runoff vote against AfD's Sebastian Wippel, 36, who stood on an anti-immigrant platform. Ursu won by 55.1% to Wippel's 44.9%, according to The Associated Press. Görlitz lies in the heart of a region in eastern Germany seen as a stronghold of support for the far-right party. In the first round of voting on May 26, Wippel won 36.4% to Ursu's 30.3%. Quote Wippel was quoted by Reuters as saying Sunday's loss was "not a vote for Mr. Ursu but more ... against me." "The CDU had to rely on support from many groups including from the far-left extremists without whom they would not have made it," he said, predicting that the AfD was still in "a good position" to win in Saxony in September. A victorious Ursu said Görlitz, a town of just 56,000 that is known for the Hollywood movies shot there, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Inglourious Basterds, had refused to give in to his opponent's nativist message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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