New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has selected New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to administer his oath of office during two ceremonies next week, his transition team announced Monday.
Mamdani will first take the oath of office at midnight on New Year’s Eve, administered by James, before being sworn in again by Sanders during a public ceremony on the afternoon of January 1.
His term officially begins at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
“It is an honor to be sworn in by two leaders I have admired for years: Attorney General Tish James and Sen. Bernie Sanders,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“I can think of no better leaders to help usher in a new era for New York City,” he added.
The transition team said Mamdani will be sworn in alongside Comptroller-elect Mark Levine and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
All three are scheduled to speak at the ceremony, which will feature music, performances, and interfaith elements.
An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people are expected to attend the celebration, with Broadway south of Canal Street set to close, according to a report by The New York Post.
Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, campaigned alongside Mamdani. Sanders, in his June endorsement, applauded Mamdani’s “inspirational” campaign and “visionary” leadership.
Sanders also administered former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s oath of office at the start of his second term in January 2018.
Mamdani secured victory over former New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month, earning 50.8% of the vote to Cuomo’s 41.3%.
The democratic socialist became the first mayoral candidate since 1969 to receive more than one million votes citywide.
