Democratic socialist sworn in as New York mayor in old subway stop

New York's new mayor Zohran Mamdani has made history and been inaugurated in a disused subway station.

The Democratic Socialist became the first Muslim mayor after an official midnight oath-taking at the Old City Hall subway stop, which is only accessible a few times a year via guided tours. He is also the first person of South Asian descent and the first African-born person to become the city's mayor, having been born in Uganda.

After the traditional small swearing-in, Mr Mamdani will hold a more celebratory afternoon ceremony. The subway site, according to Mr Mamdani's team, reflects his "commitment to the working people who keep our city running every ‌day." The New York attorney general Letitia James swore him in.

Also in attendance were his wife, Rama Duwaji, members of his immediate family, including his mother, the director Mira Nair and his Columbia professor father, Mahmood Mamdani. Mr Mamdani, a 34-year-old former state assemblyman, swept into office on a platform of tackling cost-of-living pressures by implementing rent freezes and making buses free.

He inspired ‌a record-breaking turnout of more than 2 million voters, taking 50% of the vote, nearly 10 points ahead of former Democratic New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who was running as an independent, and well ahead of Republican Curtis Sliwa. As America's most populous city, New York has roughly 8 million residents.

Plans for Mr ‌Mamdani's public inauguration later on New Year's Day include a ceremony on City Hall's steps, plus New York City's first-ever mayoral inauguration block party, comprising music and speeches in front of 4,000 guests in City Hall Plaza. ‍ People will also be able to watch a livestream of what Mr Mamdani's team has described as the "Inauguration of a New Era" in free viewing areas set up along Broadway.

Read more:Zohran Mamdani meets Donald Trump in the Oval OfficeFrom rapper to New York mayor: Who is Zohran Mamdani? The inaugural committee includes notable names such as the novelist Colson Whitehead, kids' YouTuber Ms Rachel, musician Sonny Rollins, and the actors Luis Guzman and Cynthia Nixon, the latter of whom once ran for New York state governor. Mr Mamdani will move from his one-bedroom Astoria to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City mayors on the upscale Upper East Side.

He is not the city's first mayor to be associated with democratic socialism, though David Dinkins did not make much of his association with the Democratic Socialists of ‍America (DSA) during his 1990-1993 term..