Sadiq Khan Announced As London’s New Muslim Mayor
MEP: Sadiq Khan has been elected the new Mayor of London – becoming the first Muslim leader of a major Western capital.
The official announcement was made early Saturday morning local time, but Khan led in polls against his main Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith. Khan won 1,310,143 votes, or 56.8 percent, beating Goldsmith, who got 994,614 votes.
Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith’s campaign has been marked by accusations of being “dirty” and “negative” , including from within his own party, for its emphasis on Khan’s ties to alleged extremists.
The Labour party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn congratulated Khan on his victory on Friday evening.
In Scotland, the SNP said it would form a minority government after winning its third election in a row.
In a speech after the announcement, Khan said he was “humbled” by the result and promised “to always be a mayor for all Londoners.”
Khan swept to victory despite repeated accusations from his rivals, including Prime Minister David Cameron, that the practicing Muslim is sympathetic to Islamic extremists — which he denies.
