Over to you Mr Johnson

International audienceIn 2008, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson defeated Ken Livingstone in the third elections to become the executive mayor of London. Livingstone had held this post for the previous eight years during which he had implemented his personal brand of municipal politics and given London back the voice that the city had lost in 1986 when Mrs Thatcher abolished the Greater London Council. It was thought that he would have no credible opponent in 2008 but observers underestimated the potential of " Boris " who was able to oppose " Ken " on his own turf, that of personalising the election almost ad nauseam to the extent that his slogan " Time for a Change " rang particularly true. This article recalls the main characteristics of Ken Livingstone's rise to fame before focussing on the 2008 transition chosen by the London electorate