Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who campaigned on a promise to tackle the affordability crisis in one of America’s most expensive cities, was sworn in as New York City’s 112th mayor early Thursday.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old immigrant from Uganda, makes history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor and the youngest mayor to hold the high-profile office in more than a century.
“This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said moments after being sworn in.
The former state assemblyman from Queens captured the world’s attention and stunned the political establishment with his win in the Democratic primary last summer, running a campaign focused on affordability: He promised to create a universal childcare program, freeze the rent for roughly two million rent-stabilized tenants and make city buses “fast and free.”
Mamdani was sworn just after midnight during a private ceremony alongside his wife, artist Rama Duwaji. His parents, filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University, were also in attendance.
For the ceremony, Mamdani chose a Quran from the New York Public Library that was once part of Afro-Latino historian Arturo Schomburg’s personal library.
In a statement prior to the ceremony, the library said Mamdani’s selection of Islam’s holy book “marks a significant moment in our city’s history.”
It’s a choice steeped in meaning for Mamdani and the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who call New York City home. It’s the first time a Quran has been used in a mayoral inauguration.
In addition to the NYPL’s book, Mamdani also used a Quran that belonged to his grandfather during the midnight ceremony, according to his transition team.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who Mamdani has described as a “political inspiration,” administered the oath of office as Mamdani placed his left hand on the two books.
The setting was symbolic. Mamdani was sworn in on the platform of the old City Hall subway station underneath City Hall Park in Manhattan – an architectural marvel where tiled, arched ceilings, colored glass skylights and brass chandeliers have laid dormant since the station was shuttered in 1945.
The location, which is closed to the public except for the occasional guided tour, is one of New York’s 28 original subway stations that opened in 1904, ushering in a new dawn of innovation and growth in New York City.
Following his swearing in, Mamdani spoke about the significance of the setting, calling it “a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health and the legacy of our city.”
He also announced Michael Flynn, a longtime city planner, as the city’s next Department of Transportation Commissioner.
Mamdani has made public transportation a central focus of his agenda. In addition to proposing to make city buses free, he has said his administration would expand the city’s bicycle lane network and optimize streets for pedestrians.
A public ceremony will be held at City Hall Plaza on Thursday afternoon. At least 4,000 people are expected to attend, including high-profile leaders of the progressive movement: Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce Mamdani, and the public oath of office will be administered by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In the afternoon inauguration at City Hall, he is expected to use his grandfather’s Quran in addition to one used by his grandmother.
A block party hosted by Mamdani’s transition team – dubbed the “Inauguration of a New Era” – will line Broadway, with supporters of the new mayor gathering outside the gates of City Hall.
Mamdani’s ambitious agenda has drawn some skepticism. He has proposed taxing the wealthy to pay for his proposals, something he can only do with the support of the state legislature and the governor. And while Mamdani is taking office at a time of general economic strength in the city, the high cost of living is squeezing working-class New Yorkers.
The dawn of Mamdani’s administration also comes as the national Democratic Party is wrestling with its identity and struggling to energize a divided base. Mamdani’s win has fueled debate about whether the party should move further to the left and focus on affordability as its primary issue in the upcoming midterm elections.
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