Britain's new Prime Minister Boris Johnson's lineage traces back to the Ottoman Interior Minister, Ali Kemal, according to reports. The locals of Cankiri province have said that they are "proud" of Johnson's electorial win.
"This family has members that can lead the world. This honoured us and made us proud," Mustafa Bal, a resident of the village of Kalfat in Orta's Cankiri region told Turkish news agency Demiroren News Agency (DHA).
Bal said Johnson's local heritage is well known in the region and his family is called "Sarioglangiller," which means "the sons of the blonde ones".
Johnson's great-grandfather Ali Kemal was an Ottoman Turkish Journalist and politician. He was appointed as the Minister of the Interior in Damat Ferid Pasha's government in 1919. He was murdered during the Turkish War of Independence.
Kemal's children, living in England, took their maternal grandmother's maiden name 'Johnson.' His son Osman Wilfred Johnson married Irene Williams and their son Stanley Johnson (Boris's father), who is an environment and pollution studies expert and a former politician, represented the Conservative Party between 1979 to 1984
Local support
The newspaper said locals have followed Johnson's political trajectory from his position as a Mayor to the 2019 UK elections following Theresa May's departure.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also spoke of UK-Turkey ties with Johnson's win. He said "I congratulate Boris Johnson, who became the U.K.'s 77th prime minister, and wish him success in his new position," he wrote. "I believe Turkish-United Kingdom relations will develop further in this new era."
When Johnson held the position of Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, locals even invited him to Kalfat, said Bal. He also added that many residents wanted to witness Johnson's premiership as well.
While most villagers congratulated Johnson for his win, including village head Bayram Tavukcu, another resident, Salim Bariskan said that the people are expecting Johnson to help solve the problems in the village.
