Sadiq Khan was on Saturday declared the winner of London’s mayoral election, making the son of a Pakistani bus driver the first Muslim to head Britain’s national capital. This makes Khan one of the major-league Muslim politicians in the West, besides serving as a boost to the Labour Party, The New York Times reported. Following the announcement of the results, the 45-year-old said he was “proud that London has today chosen hope over fear and unity over division”.

A former human rights lawyer, Khan won with 56.8% of the vote against Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith, the city’s election body said. The results were unclear until Saturday morning as London follows a system that allows voters a first and second preference, and Khan had not won a clear majority in the first round.

While Khan had focused his campaign on subjects such as cost of housing and transportation, it was not without controversy. Goldsmith had targeted him for supporting criminal defendants in the past, including his opposition to the extradition of a man who was later convicted in the United States of involvement in terrorist activities. Khan, however, defended his work as a human rights lawyer.