British Pakistani elected first London borough woman mayor

Fiaz's parents moved to the United Kingdom in 1960s

Newham became the first London borough to directly elect a woman mayor with Rokhsana Fiaz, a Custom House councilor since 2014, securing 73.4% of votes, Newham Recorder reported on Friday.



Fiaz's parents moved to the United Kingdom from Pakistan in the 1960s. Her predecessor Sir Robin Wales, who did not stand in the elections, remained the London borough's mayor for 16 years. Terming her victory "mind-blowing," Fiaz said her win was representative of the hope and trust people had in the Labour Party and how it had been steadily gaining ground under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.



Housing is a key priority area for Fiaz, pledged as she has to build 1,000 council homes at social rent levels by 2022. She also aspires to double the number of youth clubs to keep the young engaged and resist aacedemisation.



“My main priority for the administration will be running democracy differently,” Fiaz said while talking about how she wanted to ensure Labour remained a party that promoted healthy dialogue and worked alongside the people. The Labour Party leader will also organise a referendum on the mayoral system in 2021 in line with a promise to raise council transparency.

Newham is one of four London boroughs where mayors are directly elected. The borough has remained a Labour stronghold since its inception in 1964.



This story originally appeared in the Newham Recorder.