Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor
Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City on Thursday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics as one of the country’s most-watched politicians.
Mr Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall just after midnight, placing his hand on a Koran as he took his oath as the city’s first Muslim mayor.
“This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mr Mamdani said following the brief, private ceremony.
After working part of the night in his new office, Mr Mamdani then returned to City Hall in a taxi around midday on Thursday for a grander
public inauguration where US senator Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes, was to administer the oath for a second time.
New Yorkers turned out in the cold for an inauguration viewing party just south of City Hall on a stretch of Broadway known as the “Canyon of Heroes”, famous for its ticker-tape parades.
In opening remarks at the ceremony, US representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Mr Mamdani would be a mayor dedicated to the working-class that makes New York City run.
“It is the people of New York who have chosen historic, ambitious leadership in response to untenable and unprecedented times. New York, we have chosen courage over fear. We have chosen prosperity for the many over spoils for the few,” she said.
Mr Mamdani was accompanied on the stage by his wife, Rama Duwaji.
The previous mayor, Eric Adams, was in attendance, sitting near another former mayor, Bill de Blasio.
In addition to being the city’s first Muslim mayor, Mr Mamdani is also its first of South Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa.
At 34, Mamdani is also the city’s youngest mayor in generations.
In a campaign that helped make “affordability” a buzzword across the political spectrum, the democratic socialist promised to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.
His platform included free childcare, free buses, a rent freeze for about one million households, and a pilot of city-run food stores.
Mr Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, an academic and author.
His family moved to New York City when he was seven, with Mr Mamdani growing up in a post-9/11 city where Muslims did not always feel welcome.
He became an American citizen in 2018.
During the mayoral race, Republican president Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mr Mamdani won and mused about sending National Guard troops to the city.
But Mr Trump surprised supporters and foes alike by inviting the Democrat to the White House for what ended up being a cordial meeting in November.
“I want him to do a great job and will help him do a great job,” Mr Trump said.
Still, tensions between the two leaders are almost certain to resurface, given their deep policy disagreements, particularly over immigration.
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