Labour party candidate Sadiq Khan became London’s first Muslim mayor on Saturday after a bitter campaign against Conservative challenger Zac Goldsmith.
Thank you.
Today was an amazing victory for hope over fear and for unity over division.https://t.co/yFk1VPL3AA— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) May 7, 2016
Khan is the son of Pakistani immigrants and grew up in south London, where his dad worked as a bus driver.
In his victory speech, Khan acknowledged the bitter controversy that had occurred during the campaign – in which there were attempts to link him to sharing views with Islamic extremism.
This is not the @ZacGoldsmith I know.
Are we @Conservatives fighting 2 destroy Zac or fighting to win this election? pic.twitter.com/fzYBUDSjMG— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) May 1, 2016
Khan praised the voting results, stating that “the politics of fear is simply not welcome in our city.”
Sadiq Khan: "My dad would be so proud that the city he chose to call home has chosen 1 of his children to be Mayor" https://t.co/SScgnNhKz0
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 6, 2016
Khan received 57 percent of the vote while Goldsmith received 43 percent. The margin of approximately 14 percent is the largest personal mandate of any politician in U.K. history, according to BBC.
