Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight on Thursday, taking the oath of office at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan.
Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath.
“This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said in a brief speech.
The ceremony, administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a political ally, took place at the old City Hall station, one of the city’s original subway stops, known for its stunning arched ceilings.
In his first speech as mayor, Mamdani said the old subway station was a “testament to the importance of public transport to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city”, as he announced the appointment of his new Department of Transportation commissioner, Mike Flynn.
The new mayor then closed with a smile. “Thank you all so much, now I will see you later,” he said, before heading up a flight of stairs.
Mamdani will be sworn in again, in grander style, at a public ceremony at City Hall at 1pm, to be administered by US Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the mayor’s political heroes. That will be followed by what the new administration is billing as a public block party on a stretch of Broadway known as the “Canyon of Heroes”, famous for its ticker-tape parades.
Mamdani now begins one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics as one of the country’s most closely watched politicians.
In a campaign that helped make “affordability” a buzzword across the political spectrum, the democratic socialist promised 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 programme of city-run grocery stores.
But he will also have to contend with the less glamorous responsibilities of City Hall: dealing with rubbish, snow and rats, while being blamed for subway delays and potholes.
Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and academic and author Mahmood Mamdani. His family moved to New York City when he was seven, and he grew up in a post-9/11 city. He became an American citizen in 2018.
He worked on political campaigns for Democratic candidates in the city before seeking public office himself, winning a state Assembly seat in 2020 to represent part of Queens.
Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, will leave their one-bedroom, rent-stabilised apartment in the outer boroughs to take up residence in the stately mayoral home in Manhattan.
He inherits a city on the upswing after years of slow recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Violent crime has fallen back to pre-pandemic lows, tourists have returned, and unemployment, which surged during the pandemic years, has also dropped to pre-Covid levels.
Mamdani will also have to deal with Republican President Donald Trump.
During the mayoral race, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the city if Mamdani won and mused about sending National Guard troops to New York.
But Trump later surprised supporters and critics alike by inviting the Democrat to the White House for what turned out to be a cordial meeting in November.