Ashok Sridharan, a mayoral candidate of Chancellor Angela Merkel-led Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has comprehensively won the election in Bonn, becoming the first person of Indian-origin to occupy the mayor’s office in a major German city.
49-year-old Sridharan secured the absolute majority by polling 50.06 per cent of the votes in Sunday’s election in the former German capital, according to provisional results. His victory marks the end of more than 21 years’ rule of the city by the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Sridharan, who is the son of a migrant from India and a German mother, will take over the reigns of the city administration from the outgoing SPD mayor Juergen Nymptsch on October 21.
Until now, he served as the treasurer and assistant mayor in the municipal administration of neighbouring town Koenigswinter.
His absolute majority in the first round of the election and his strong lead over his two main opponents came as a surprise to many political observers, who predicted a close finish.
