'New York's New Mayor' Mamdani to Take Oath at Midnight on the 31st in Closed Subway Station

'In His 30s, Progressive, and Muslim' Zohran Mamdani
Private Inauguration at a Closed Subway Station
Official Ceremony to Be Held January 1 in Front of New York City Hall

Zohran Mamdani, Mayor-Elect of New York City. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Zohran Mamdani, a progressive politician in his 30s and an Indian-American Muslim, is scheduled to take his oath of office as Mayor-Elect of New York City on the night of December 31 (local time) at a closed subway station.

According to foreign media outlets such as The New York Times and The Guardian, Mamdani will hold a separate, private inauguration ceremony around midnight on December 31 at the Old City Hall Station in New York, attended by family and friends.

This station, built during the opulent Gilded Age in the early 1900s, was closed in 1945 after concerns were raised about the wide gap between the platform and train doors, which made it dangerous. For over 80 years since its closure, it has only been accessible through special tours.

Mamdani explained that he chose this unusual location for his oath of office as a symbolic expression of "the beginning of a new era."

In a statement, he said, "When the Old City Hall Station, one of the 28 original New York subway stations, first opened in 1904, it stood as a physical monument to the city's courage in pursuing beauty while also building a great structure that would transform the lives of workers."

He added, "Such ambition should not remain a memory confined to the past, nor should it stay hidden in the tunnels beneath City Hall."

Letitia James, the current New York State Attorney General who will administer Mamdani’s oath, said that choosing a subway station as the venue was an appropriate decision, emphasizing that the public transportation system is a "great equalizer" for New Yorkers.

Mamdani, who was a relatively unknown political newcomer as a New York State legislator, became the first Muslim to be elected Mayor of New York City last month. Identifying as a "democratic socialist," he garnered voter support with pledges to ease the burden of housing costs and impose a wealth tax in New York, where inflation is severe.

Meanwhile, Mamdani will hold an official inauguration ceremony in front of New York City Hall at 1 p.m. on January 1 next year. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is scheduled to administer the oath, and a celebratory event will follow on Broadway. Up to 40,000 people are expected to attend the event.