Mamdani WINS as NYC elects first Muslim, Ugandan-born South Asian mayor

Capital FM Kenya

Zohran Mamdani - who describes himself as Donald Trump's 'worst nightmare' - said he had a 'mandate for change' as he addressed supporters following his New York mayoral win in the early hours of Wednesday.  "Tonight you have delivered a mandate for change. A mandate for a new kind of politics. A mandate for a city we can afford. And a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that," he said.  Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of the city, and was born in Uganda to South Asian parents.  "I am Muslim. I am a Democratic Socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of it," he said.  "Whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many Black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job…" he told the crowd. "A single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall. Your struggle is ours too. And we will build a city hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism. Where the more than 1 million Muslims know that they belong."  Trump endorsed his independent opponent and former Democrat governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo: "I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or another, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist."  Following Mamdani's win, the US president also wrote on Truth Social: "“TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,” according to Pollsters."  He followed up: "AND SO IT BEGINS!" although did not clarify what he meant.  Mamdani took just over 50 percent of the vote, followed by independent Cuomo on 41.6 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa on 7.1 percent.  Follow us on: WhatsApp cutt.ly/WhatsAppCFM https://twitter.com/capitalfmkenya/ https://www.facebook.com/capitalfmkenya https://www.instagram.com/capitalfmkenya  Subscribe to Capital FM News for More: https://goo.gl/um4AGk  98.4 Capital FM 93.0 Western Kenya 98.5 Nakuru and Nyeri 104.5 Malindi 102.7 Garissa 103.9 Meru 106.5 Kitui 104.9 Voi  #CapitalFmKenya

Transcript

00:00New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics,

00:14a mandate for a city we can afford, and a mandate for a government that delivers exactly that.

00:23On January 1st, I will be sworn in as the mayor of New York City.

00:38I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life.

00:46But let tonight be the final time I utter his name.

00:53In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light.

01:02Here, we believe in standing up for those we love.

01:07Whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community,

01:12one of the many black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job,

01:18a single bomb still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down,

01:24or anyone else with their back against the wall,

01:30your struggle is ours too.

01:32And we will build a city hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers

01:42and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism.

01:48Where the more than one million Muslims know that they belong.

01:52No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election.

02:06You showed that when politics speaks to you without condescension,

02:11we can usher in a new era of leadership.

02:14We will fight for you because we are you.

02:21Or as we say on Steinway,

02:24I am Muslim.

02:28I am a Democratic Socialist.

02:38And most damning of all,

02:41I refuse to apologize for any of you.

02:43We chose hope together.

02:48Hope over tyranny.

02:50Hope over big money and small ideas.

02:54Hope over despair.

02:58We won because New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope

03:01that the impossible could be made possible.

03:04Anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump

03:07how to defeat him.

03:09It is the city that gave rise to him.

03:16And if there is any way to terrify a despot,

03:20it is by dismantling the very conditions

03:22that allowed him to accumulate power.

03:25This will be an age

03:29where New Yorkers expect from their leaders

03:31a bold vision of what we will achieve

03:33rather than a list of excuses

03:35for what we are too timid to attempt.

03:38The city belongs to you.

03:50.

03:51.

03:52.

03:54.

03:56.

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