Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City in a ceremony held shortly after midnight on January 1, 2026 in an abandoned beaux-arts subway station beneath city hall.
The 34-year-old took the oath of office administered by New York attorney general Letitia James. His wife, Rama Duwaji, attended alongside members of his family, including his mother, film-maker Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of African studies at Columbia University.
“This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said. “I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term.”
New York gets 34-year-old mayor as Zohran Mamdani takes office in historic subway station ceremony
Mamdani chose the Old City Hall subway station for the ceremony, explaining its significance to the city’s infrastructure.
“After just having taken my oath to become the mayor of the city of New York, I do so also here in the old City Hall subway station – a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health, the legacy of our city,” he said.
During the ceremony, Mamdani announced Mike Flynn, a city planner, as the city’s transportation commissioner. The mayor said he wanted to make New York’s public transit network “the envy of the world”. Flynn said he was accepting the “job of a lifetime”.
The outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, attended the ceremony after initially hesitating to commit. Adams later said he would “like to be there to show the smooth, peaceful transition of power”.
First mayor to use Qur’an for oath
Mamdani became the first mayor in New York City history to be sworn in using a Qur’an. He placed his hand on two copies of Islam’s text: one belonging to his grandfather and another that belonged to Arturo Schomburg, a Black writer and historian, which was lent to the ceremony by the New York public library, according to the New York Times.
The ceremony was attended by a committee of New Yorkers selected by Mamdani, including actor John Turturro, playwright Cole Escola and writer Colson Whitehead, along with advocates, business owners and campaign workers.
A public swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for 1PM on the same day, followed by a block party outside city hall. At the public event, Bronx Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was set to introduce the mayor, with Vermont senator Bernie Sanders administering the oath.
Mamdani’s office said the choice of the old city hall subway station reflected his “commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day”.
“When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904 – one of New York’s 28 original subway stations – it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working people’s lives,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past.”
Rise from state assemblyman to mayor
Mamdani’s path to office began with the city’s primary vote, where he defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo, who subsequently ran as an independent candidate. Adams, who was under scrutiny from federal prosecutors at the time, chose not to seek the Democratic nomination.
In April, polling showed Mamdani trailing Cuomo 36 per cent to 64 per cent. His campaign gained momentum through social media and grassroots efforts that appeared to engage first-time voters facing cost-of-living pressures in the post-pandemic city.
A campaign spokesperson said Mamdani’s success was due to him “being everywhere all of the time”, with more than 10,000 volunteers knocking on more than 100,000 doors. His platform included affordability measures, rent freezes, free metro transport and city-run grocery stores, as well as the creation of a department of community safety to invest in citywide mental health programmes.
Democrat campaign veteran Hank Sheinkopf said that Mamdani “represents the city of the future – a more Asian city, a more Muslim city, and what could be a more leftwing city”.
Election victory in November
In November, the then state assemblyman won the election with 50.78 per cent of the vote, defeating Republican activist Curtis Sliwa and Cuomo.
In his victory speech, Mamdani spoke of his commitment to working New Yorkers who did not usually have access to the levers of power.
“Let the words we’ve spoken together, the dreams we’ve dreamt together, become the agenda we deliver together,” he said. “New York, this power, it’s yours. This city belongs to you.”
The events mark a development for the Democratic Socialist party that Mamdani, elected as a Democrat, represents.
