Jagmeet Singh, a 38-year-old Sikh criminal lawyer, was on Monday elected the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, becoming the first non-white politician to head a major party in the country.
Singh, the Ontario provincial lawmaker, was elected on the first ballot to lead the party into the 2019 election against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberals.
He won the decisive first-ballot victory over three other candidates by receiving 53.6 per cent of the vote.
“Thank you, New Democrats. The run for Prime Minister begins now,” he tweeted after the election.
“That’s why today, I’m officially launching my campaign to be the next Prime Minister of Canada,” he added.
Trudeau congratulated Singh and said he looked forward to speaking with him soon and working together for Canadians.