London Elects First-Ever Muslim Mayor, the Son of a Pakistani Bus Driver
London elected its new mayor, Sadiq Khan, on Friday, making him the first Muslim person to hold the position in the city—or that of any major western capital, for that matter.
Khan, a former human rights lawyer and now a member of the center-left Labour Party, beat out Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614, according to BBC. The election ends eight years of Conservative rule in the city. The son of a Pakistani bus driver, Khan has promised to address London’s housing crisis and freeze hikes on transportation fares.
“London has today chosen hope over fear,” he said in a speech immediately after his victory was announced.