Politics

Mayoral elections in London.

22 Apr, 2008

Londoners go to the polls on 1 May to elect their next mayor and the 25 members of the London Assembly. Ten candidates are standing for the position of mayor including the incumbent Ken Livingston (Labour), Boris Johnson (Conservative), Brian Paddick (LibDem) and Sian Berry (Green Party). Voters can cast two votes for the mayor, indicating their first and second choice. If no candidate receives more than half of the first preference ballots, the winner is decided by adding the number of second preferences attributed to the top two first preference candidates to their totals.

All British, Commonwealth or EU citizens aged 18 or over and living in London are eligible to vote, as long as they are on the electoral register. Of the almost 5.5 million voters registered in London, just 37 percent voted in the last elections for mayor in 2004.