Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old socialist who delivered a thumping victory in November’s mayoral election, was officially sworn in during a midnight ceremony held in a subway station in New York.
“Our campaign was built around listening to the people of New York, and we will govern in the same way,” Mamdani wrote on X hours before the ceremony.
“Tomorrow, we get to work.”
The private, underground oath was the first of two ceremonies planned to mark Mamdani’s swearing in, with a public block party outside City Hall expected to attract thousands.
Subway swearing-in
In New York, mayoral terms begin on January 1 after elections.
In a bid to avoid any ambiguity about who oversees America’s most populous city, it has become something of a tradition to hold a small midnight swearing-in.
Mamdani chose the Old City Hall subway stop as the site of his midnight oath.
The station was decommissioned in 1945 and is accessible only a few times a year through guided tours.
Although no longer in use, the station boasts stunning architecture featuring tiled arches.
According to Mamdani’s office, the station reflects his “commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day”.
Mamdani said the station represented an era when New York invested in infrastructure meant to improve people’s lives, an ambition he said his administration aimed to carry forward.
Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayor.
In the midnight ceremony, Mamdani placed his hands on copies of the Quran as he took the oath of office, marking the first time a New York mayor had used Islam’s holy text to be sworn in.
The Qurans will also be used in the second swearing-in ceremony.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a political ally and notable foe of President Donald Trump, administered the oath of office.
Grant Reeher, a Syracuse University political science professor, said James’s role in the swearing-in sent a message to core supporters that Mamdani was “going to be independent of the president”. (abc.au)
