London has a new mayor, the first of Muslim origin in its history. Since yesterday evening it's official: Khan obtained 56,8% of the votes, against 43,2% for Goldsmith, while the turnout settled at around 46%, the highest locally in recent years.
In his brief acceptance speech, the new mayor reaffirmed the commitments of his programme, from housing to public services, pledging to give opportunities to "all Londoners". Then he proudly recalled his origins, turning a thought to the memory of his father, bus driver and father of eight children, and thanking his mother, wife, family and those who supported him.
“I never thought I'd become mayor of London,” he admitted, recalling his own story and the beginnings of his journey. Finally, he recalled the "controversies" of the electoral campaign - which involved his own Muslim roots - but only to say he was happy that the voters chose "unity" in the end.
"Hope won against fear, unity against division". Khan added in the margin of his official announcement. "Fear doesn't make us safer, it makes us weaker - insisted the Labor exponent - and the politics of fear is simply not welcome in our city".
In Thursday's elections, 45 million citizens were called to the polls: in addition to the municipal elections in England, they also voted for the regional elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. And it was the first test at the polls for Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, after he took over the reins of the country's first opposition party in September.
Labor fared poorly in Scotland, where they finished third behind the independent Scottish National Party (SNP) and Conservatives, while they fared best in England and remain in government in Wales.
