Olivia Chow became the elected mayor of Toronto last night, surpassing her closest competitor, Ana Bailao, by a little over 5%.
Typically, a new mayor takes several weeks to be sworn in, but Chow has already reached out to the city clerk and requested to assume office on July 12, pending the certification of the official results. That task is expected to be completed no later than Wednesday.
Olivia Chow's election marks the end of nearly 13 years of right-wing governance in Toronto City Hall, and she becomes the first woman and the first person from a visible minority to lead Toronto after amalgamation.
This is how Chow celebrated her victory alongside her supporters:
Chow, 66, was the frontrunner to win the race from the moment she entered the candidacy and managed to establish a decisive lead in the polls. However, the race ended up being a close head-to-head battle between her and Ana Bailão, after John Tory announced his support for his former deputy mayor just 5 days before the elections.