Londoners OK Move to Create Elected Mayor

Londoners voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favor of electing their own mayor for the first time in history, a powerful figure likely to cut a political profile second only to Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The plan for a strong elected mayor and a 25-member assembly was approved with 72% of the vote.

“It’s our chance for the future to get the right structure for London and get a big, powerful figure for London,” Blair said earlier in the day, urging the 5 million voters in the capital to vote “yes” for the elected mayor.

The proposal for a mayor of London and an assembly also is backed by the Conservatives and the third-running Liberal Democrats. Political affairs in Britain’s largest city currently are handled by the national government and a network of borough councils.

The turnout was exceptionally low, around 36% in London despite the mayoral referendum, and 28% elsewhere.

In local elections in England, the opposition Conservative Party made early gains after years of setting new lows. The ballot was the first test of the record popularity ratings Blair has enjoyed since his Labor Party’s landslide victory in national elections a year ago.

With results declared from 120 of the 166 local authorities being contested, the British news agency Press Association calculated that Labor controlled 68 councils, unchanged; the Liberal Democrats 12, down six; and the Conservatives five, up two. No party controlled the remainder.

The Conservative share of the vote was only slightly up from the 32% it had a year ago. “What we are seeing tonight is a modest advance,” said party spokesman Alan Duncan.