ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A recently elected councillor of Kurdish origin was appointed to the position of deputy mayor of a southern London borough on Thursday, taking the legal oath in a traditional Kurdish outfit and stating that he was honored to be a “true representative to the people.”
Sarbaz Barznji, 37, was elected Deputy Mayor of Lambeth by the borough’s municipality on Thursday. In addition to his new role, Barznji is also a local Labour and Co-operative councillor of the municipality, a position he was elected to earlier this month in the UK's local elections.
“It is a great honor for a person to be able to serve his community and his people and become a true representative of the people and not forget his past… We will try with all our ability to meet your trust and expectations,” Barznji said in a statement following his election.
Cllr Sarbaz Barznji, councillor for Brixton Acre Lane ward, has been elected as the Deputy Mayor of Lambeth for 2022/23.
— Lambeth Labour (@LambethLabour) May 25, 2022
Congratulations, Sarbaz! pic.twitter.com/UlyrJlZsIw
Barznji graduated from London’s City University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
The new deputy mayor attracted media attention when he attempted to rescue one of his neighbors from a burning building in July. "One of my neighbours managed to escape with his toddler son, but he was shouting in panic and told me that his wife was stuck in the building,” Barznji told a local London news-outlet last year. "Thankfully, my neighbour's wife managed to get out,” he added, having twice entered the flat to assist her.”
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