LONDON – Labour Party politician Sadiq Khan has been elected London mayor — the first Muslim to lead Europe’s largest city.
Election officials say Khan defeated Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith by more than 300,000 votes, after first- and second-preference votes were allocated.
READ MORE: London mayor Boris Johnson under fire for ‘part-Kenyan’ remark about Obama
The result came early Saturday, more than 24 hours after polls closed.
Khan was elected to replace Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson after a campaign marked by U.S.-style negative campaigning.
Get daily National news
READ MORE: How much would it cost to leave the European Union?
Goldsmith, a wealthy environmentalist, called Khan divisive and accused him of sharing platforms with Islamic extremists.
Khan, who calls himself “the British Muslim who will take the fight to the extremists,” accused Goldsmith of trying to scare and divide voters in a proudly multicultural city of 8.6 million people — more than 1 million of them Muslim.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.