Why Zohran Mamdani had to pay $9 to become mayor

Kicking off 2026 with a bang, Zohran Mamdani was officially sworn in as the mayor of New York City on New Year's Day.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist, who is the Big Apple's youngest mayor in generations, has been largely praised for his promises to bring transformative change with policies intended to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

His platform included free childcare, free buses, a rent freeze for about one million households, and a pilot of city-run food stores.

Mamdani, who is also NYC's first mayor of South Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa, was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station below City Hall just after midnight, placing his hand on a Quran as he took his oath as the city’s first Muslim mayor.

"This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime," he said following the ceremony, in which he was accompanied by his wife, 28-year-old artist Rama Duwaji.

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the mayor of New York on New Year's Day (Amir Hamja-Pool/Getty Images)

Mamdani also had to pay a $9 fee to become mayor - but what was the reason behind this?

Well, it's all down to bureaucracy, really.

"If you have been elected, appointed, or hired by the City of New York, you must file your Oath of Office with the City Clerk," the agency's official website explains. "The fee for an Oath of Office is $9 by credit card or money order payable to the City Clerk.

"When you file an Oath of Office, you swear to support and uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New York."

Mamdani said his payment should be exact change.

Mamdani was joined by his wife, Rama Duwaji, during the ceremony (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Later on Thursday, Mamdani had a larger inauguration celebration with a 'block party' for people who were not among the 4,000 invited to the ceremony.

"We wanted to ensure that as we celebrated the beginning of our administration, it was a celebration that was not simply for the typical people who would be invited to an inauguration, but in fact, for everyone," he said last week during a press conference, previewing the events.

"This is not my success. It’s our success. It’s not my administration. It’s our administration. Similarly, it’s not my inauguration. It’s for all of us," the beloved mayor added.

The next key date in Mamdani’s administration will be just next week on 7 January, marking the first day of New York’s 2026 state legislative session in Albany.