Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York city mayor

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the mayor of New York City shortly after midnight in a private ceremony held at the long-abandoned beaux-arts City Hall subway station, setting the tone for a full day of celebrations that will include a public swearing-in and a block party outside City Hall. Reported by The Guardian.

At 34, Mamdani took the oath of office administered by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. He was joined by his wife, Rama Duwaji, close family members, including his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of African studies at Columbia University.

“This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said.
“I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term.

“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.”

During the ceremony, Mamdani announced Mike Flynn, a veteran city planner, as New York City’s new transportation commissioner, saying he wanted to make the city’s transit system “the envy of the world.” Flynn described the role as the “job of a lifetime.”

“Thank you all so much … and I will see you later,” Mamdani said to laughter from those gathered before leaving via the station’s wide staircase.

Outgoing mayor Eric Adams also attended, later saying he wanted to demonstrate a “smooth, peaceful transition of power.”

In a historic first, Mamdani was sworn in on a Qur’an, honoring his Muslim faith. He used his grandfather’s Qur’an along with another that once belonged to Black writer and historian Arturo Schomburg, lent by the New York Public Library.

The ceremony included a diverse group of invitees selected for Mamdani’s inaugural committee, including actor John Turturro, playwright Cole Escola and writer Colson Whitehead, alongside advocates, small business owners and campaign workers.

The midnight event will be followed by a public ceremony at 1pm, where Mamdani will be introduced by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and sworn in again by Senator Bernie Sanders.

Mamdani’s office said the choice of the old City Hall subway station symbolized his commitment to working New Yorkers.

“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.
“That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past.”

The swearing-in marks the culmination of Mamdani’s rapid political rise. Once trailing heavily in early polling, he gained momentum through a strong grassroots and social media-driven campaign focused on affordability, rent freezes, free public transport, city-run grocery stores and expanded community safety initiatives.

In November, Mamdani won the mayoral election with 50.78% of the vote, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and former governor Andrew Cuomo. In his victory speech, he emphasized collective power and inclusion.

“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.”