2011年8月18日星期四
Eastern Europe's First Black Mayor Tells Supporters Not to View Him as Next 'Obama'
The black physician, a member of Slovenia's governing Social Democrats, won a run-off election in the town with just over 51 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating the center-right outgoing mayor, Dr. Tomaz Gantar.
Bossman's success is viewed by commentators as remarkable in Eastern Europe, where people from Africa and other non-European nations have complained about discrimination or mistreatment.
Even Slovenia's human rights record had been criticized after it erased over 25,000 people from official documents for failing to apply for Slovenian citizenship after it declared independence from Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
Yet, the Alpine nation of two million people became the first former Yugoslav republic to join the European Union in 2004 and has since promised to re-instate those whose residency was erased.
About 12 percent of people living in Slovenia were born abroad, but only a fraction come from Africa. Most black people tend to be tourists. But Bossman, who also speaks English, tells international media his victory in mayoral elections shows that Slovenia is now mature enough to elect a nonwhite political representative.
"I think that people don't see me as a black man," he said. "They see me as a good man, as a doctor and the racial question really didn't came into play here."
Bossman awaits a busy period. He has promised voters to introduce electric cars in Piran and boost Internet shopping to overcome its few stores. He also wants to increase tourism revenues by trying to bring an airport and a golf-course to town.
Dr. Peter Bossman, who was born in Ghana, is starting his work as mayor of Slovenia's coastal town of Piran. Bossman's election earned him the distinction of being Eastern Europe's first black mayor. But he has urged supporters not to view him as the next Barack Obama, a reference to the United States' first black president.
29 October 2010
Photo: AP
Peter Bossman, center, a Ghana-born physician celebrates his electoral victory in Piran, Slovenia, late Sunday, 24 Oct. 2010
订阅：
博文评论 (Atom)
没有评论:
发表评论