The oath ceremony took place at the abandoned City Hall subway station in Manhattan, which has been closed since 1945. Beside the newly elected mayor was his wife, Rama Duvaji. The oath was administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Mamdani chose this location to emphasize his connection with the working class. In his first speech as mayor, he announced the appointment of a new commissioner for the Department of Transportation — Mike Flynn.
At the final stage of the ceremony, held at New York City Hall, the oath was administered to Mamdani by independent senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders. He expressed gratitude to the city's residents for electing Mamdani during a difficult time when the U.S. is experiencing a lot of hatred and injustice.
Oath on the Quran
Although the law does not require new mayors of New York City to take an oath on any sacred text, most of them have traditionally used the Bible. Mamdani became the first New York mayor to take an oath on the Quran. For this, he chose three copies: a Quran that belonged to his grandfather, a pocket Quran from the 18th-19th century from the collection of the New York Public Library, and a family heirloom from his ancestors.
New York City Mayor Elections
The elections in which Mamdani became the 111th mayor of New York City were held on November 4. He, nominated by the Democratic Party and the "Working Families Party," received 50.3% of the votes. In second place was independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who received 41.6% of the votes and was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to cut city funding. Cuomo, a former governor from 2011 to 2021, resigned after allegations of harassment and then lost the primary to Mamdani.
Trump also referred to Mamdani, who holds leftist views, as a communist, claiming that his ideas could harm the city. In particular, Mamdani proposed freezing housing rents, introducing free bus rides, providing preschool education for all, and creating a network of municipal grocery stores. He plans to finance the implementation of these projects through increased taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations.
