In Photos: Zohran Mamadani’s Swearing-In Ceremony With Bernie Sanders

Zohran Mamdani made history on Thursday as New York City’s first Muslim, South Asian and millennial mayor. He took his oath on a Quran at a private ceremony in a decommissioned Manhattan subway station, with his wife, Rama Duwaji, holding the text. A second public swearing-in was led by Senator Bernie Sanders. Mamdani called it “the honour of a lifetime” and promised to serve all New Yorkers.

Updated on: 2 January 2026 2:08 pm

New York city Mayor Zohran Mamadani’s Swearing-In Ceremony

New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, administers the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, as his wife Rama Duwaji looks on, in New York. | Photo: AP/Yuki Iwamura

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Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony in the Old City Hall subway station in New York. | Photo: AP/Yuki Iwamura

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New York city Mayor Zohran Mamadani’s Swearing-In Ceremony-Rama Duwaji

Rama Duwaji, wife of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, holds two Qurans, one from the public library and one from his family, for Mamdani's swearing-in ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Yuki Iwamura

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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, administers the oath of office to Mayor Zohran Mamdani, right, as Rama Duwaji, center, holds the Quran during Mamdani's inauguration ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Andres Kudacki

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A Mamdani supporter wears a pin outside the City Hall before Zohran Mamdani's inauguration in New York. | Photo: AP/Andres Kudacki

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Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair, parents of Mayor Zohran Mamdani react as Mamdani speaks during his inauguration ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Heather Khalifa

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Rama Duwaji and New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams along with Mamdani's parents Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair listen as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. speaks during Mamdani's public swearing-in ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Heather Khalifa

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani, center left, and his wife, Rama Duwaji, center right, stand during the national anthem at Mamdani's inauguration ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Andres Kudacki

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani, left, stands with his wife, Rama Duwaji, during his inauguration ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Andres Kudacki

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani, left, and his wife Rama Duwaji kiss during Mamdani's inauguration ceremony in New York. | Photo: AP/Andres Kudacki

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Kiki Ball-Change of Harlem, in white, waits with others in the cold outside the City Hall before Zohran Mamdani's inauguration in New York. | Photo: AP/Andres Kudacki