London has a new mayor, after its citizens voted in the Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson, ahead of Labour's Ken Livingstone.
Well-known for his wild blonde hair, his self-deprecating humour and his reputation for gaffes and blunders, Mr Johnson has been a colourful figure in British politics for many years.
While few doubted his energy and charisma, Boris Johnson's narrow victory has surprised his critics, who questioned whether he was a serious enoughpolitician to win.
His remarks have often caused controversy, such as when in 2006 he had to apologise to the entire country of Papua New Guinea after suggesting it was known for "cannibalism".
In the same year his criticism of a healthy eating campaign also made headlines, when he said parents should be able to feed children what theylike, healthy or not.
But bumbling Boris has always had an ambitious streak; when he was asked as a child what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said "the world king".
He now replaces Ken Livingstone, who had been London's mayor since 2000.
Left-wing 'Red Ken' will be remembered for his role in helping London win the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as his introduction of the congestion charge, which is widely thought to have reduced traffic in the capital.
So will Boris Johnson's victory mean a change of direction for London over the next four years?
He promises to be tough on crime and anti-social behaviour, and to work to help bring together Londoners of different ethnic backgrounds.
Whatever happens, given Boris Johnson's colourful past, it is unlikely that the next four years will be dull.
译文:
伦敦的新市长
伦敦迎来了一位新市长：在市民投票中，保守党候选人鲍里斯·约翰逊获胜，而工党的肯·利文斯通则败下阵来。
有着一头乱蓬蓬的金发，自嘲式的幽默，动辄放炮出言不逊的名声 – 多年以来，约翰逊在英国的政治上是一个多姿多彩的人物。
然而几乎没人怀疑他的热情和作为领导人物的超凡魅力，鲍里斯·约翰逊的险胜让他的批评者们大为惊讶，那些人曾置疑：作为政客，他严肃不足，无法获胜。
他的言辞总是会引起争议，例如：2006年，他将工党内部争斗比喻成巴布亚新几内亚的“人吃人”，之后，他不得不向整个巴布亚新几内亚道歉。（译者：这里引入了一些背景知识）
同年，他抨击“健康饮食运动”的新闻也登上了头条，鲍里斯称：父母应该给孩子吃他们想吃的任何东西，无论健康与否。
但是不拘小节的鲍里斯一向雄心勃勃；当他还是个孩子的时候，被问及长大了想成为什么样的人时，他回答“成为世界之王”。
他现在代替了肯·利文斯通 – 一位自2000年就一直担任伦敦市长的人物。
左翼的“红色肯”（指肯·利文斯通）将会被人们所记住：他在伦敦成功申办2012年奥运会中发挥了重大作用；他引进了机动车进城费，该举措被广泛认为缓解了首都的交通。
那么，鲍里斯·约翰逊的胜利是否会意味着，伦敦未来四年的发展方向会有所改变呢？
他承诺会对犯罪问题以及违反社会公德行为持强硬立场，致力于团结不同种族背景的伦敦民众。
但不管发生什么，考虑到鲍里斯·约翰逊多彩的过去，接下来的四年是不可能单调枯燥的。