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10/24/10

Slovenia elects its 1st black mayor

Slovenia elected its first black mayor on Sunday, an immigrant from Africa known as the "Obama of Piran," the town where he lives. In fact, Peter Bossman, a Ghana-born physician, could be the first black mayor elected anywhere in his region of Europe.

Bossman, who settled in this tiny Alpine nation in the 1970s to study medicine in what was then known as Yugoslavia, won a runoff election in the coastal town of Piran with 51.4 percent of votes, defeating Dr. Tomaz Gantar, the outgoing mayor. The 54-year-old Bossman is a member of Slovenia's governing Social Democrats. He runs a private practice and was previously a member of the Piran City Council.

Vlado Miheljak, a local political analyst, said the vote in Piran was a test about whether Slovenia was "mature enough to elect a nonwhite political representative."

For more: Slovenia elects its 1st black mayor - World - TheState.com

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