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LONDON: Pakistan-origin Sadiq Khan won a second term as London mayor after securing an ultimately decisive victory over Conservative rival Shaun Bailey.
He won 55.2 percent of the popular vote, after a late increase in support for his Conservative opponent. Labour Party candidate Sadiq Khan received 192,313 second preference votes, with Mr Bailey picking up 84,550.
Mr Khan holds the records for most votes (1,310,143) and the biggest winning majority (315,529) from his inaugural victory in 2016 against Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith. Khan was first elected mayor of the capital in 2016 in a landslide victory, breaking the Conservatives’ eight-year hold on City Hall.
In his victory speech, Khan pledged to build a “better and brighter future” for the capital following the pandemic. “I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
“I promise to strain every sinew, help build a better and brighter future for London, after the dark days of the pandemic and to create a greener, fairer and safer city for all Londoners, to get the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential,” he added.
Sadiq Khan was seen as the favourite throughout the campaign, with some pollsters predicting he would win more than half of the first-round votes. His success also comes after a disappointing performance from the Labour Party in local elections.