London: Meet Rokhsana Fiaz, Newham's first directly elected woman mayor

Rokhsana will replace Sir Robin Wales, who was deselected after 16 years in the post. At his last election, Sir Wales had received 61 percent of the votes.

Rokhsana Fiaz, woman mayor of the London borough of Newham. (Image Courtesy Twitter) 

LONDON: A British Pakistani, Rokhsana Fiaz, has found a place in history books for becoming the first directly-elected woman mayor of the London borough of Newham.

Rokhsana will replace Sir Robin Wales, who was deselected after 16 years in the post. At his last election, Sir Wales had received 61 percent of the votes.

"Wow. It's mind-blowing. It says to me two things about Newham - one, the amount of trust and hope they have in the Labour Party, and the fact that we have been accelerating over the last couple of years since Jeremy Corbyn's leadership," Geo TV quoted Rokhsana, as saying.

"The fact that I am the first directly elected ethnic minority mayor is significant. It's also significant that I am the first directly elected woman of colour in the whole of the country. It shows to young people that if you work hard and play smart, play by the rules then you can go to the top," she added.

According to the reports, the newly-elected mayor, after her victory, mentioned that the council would "not only look very different but will be different with more transparency, accountability and residents involved in decision making."

Fiaz was one of four Labour mayoral candidates to come out on top in London boroughs.

Nearly 500 British-Pakistanis contested for the UK local government elections.