The ceremony took place at the City Hall subway station in Manhattan, which has been closed since 1945, where Mamdani's wife, Rama Duvaji, was by his side. The oath was administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. The choice of location was motivated by his desire to demonstrate a connection with the working class. In his first address to the citizens, Mamdani also announced the appointment of a new commissioner for the Department of Transportation — Mike Flynn.
The concluding part of the ceremony took place at City Hall, where independent senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders also administered the oath to the new mayor. He expressed gratitude to the city's residents for electing Mamdani at such a challenging time, when there is much hatred and injustice in society.
Oath on the Quran
Although the law does not require New York City mayors to take an oath on any religious text, Mamdani became the first mayor to do so with the Quran. For his oath, he used three copies: a Quran that belonged to his grandfather, a pocket version from the 18th-19th century from the New York Public Library collection, and a family heirloom.
New York City Mayor Election
The election in which Mamdani became the 111th mayor of New York City took place on November 4. He, nominated by the Democratic Party and the "Working Families Party," received 50.3% of the votes. Andrew Cuomo, an independent candidate, came in second with 41.6% of the votes. Cuomo, who was governor of New York from 2011 to 2021, faced allegations of sexual harassment and subsequently resigned, then lost the primary to Mamdani.
Trump, who supported Cuomo, calls Mamdani, who holds leftist views, a communist and claims that his ideas could negatively impact the city. Mamdani proposes freezing rental rates, introducing free bus rides, ensuring universal preschool education, and creating a network of municipal grocery stores, funding these initiatives through tax increases for the wealthy and corporations.
