In 2015 he fled Syria and in 2023 he became mayor of Ostelsheim in Baden-Württemberg. As announced by the municipality, the town of approximately 2,500 people elected Ryan Alshebl as the new mayor with an absolute majority of 55.41%.
The 29-year-old is a member of the Green Party, but ran as a non-partisan candidate. Speaking about the experience gained during the election campaign, Alcheble described it as “generally positive”.
Alshebl fled his hometown of As-Suwayda in southern Syria at the age of 21. To date, he has worked for seven years in the administration of Mayor Altengstätt. Having become the head of the city, Alshebl wants to move to neighboring Ostelsheim (district of Kalw).
According to the Gemeindetag Baden-Württemberg, this is the first time in history that a candidate of Syrian origin has applied for of mayor. In the election held, 29-year-old Ryan Alshebl defeated nonpartisan candidates Marco Strauss and Matthias Fey.