(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, Nov 5 (KUNA) -- Preliminary results released by the New York City Board of Elections indicated that Democratic candidate Zahran Mamdani has secured the race for mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim to hold the position in the history of the largest city in the United States.
The Associated Press reported late Tuesday that the Board of Elections data showed Mamdani, aged 34, holding a comfortable lead with 50.4 percent of the vote, compared to 41.6 percent for his independent rival, former state governor Andrew Cuomo, and 7.1 percent for Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani declared victory in a speech to supporters, saying, "You have entrusted me with a mandate for change and for a new politics," and pledged to improve the situation in New York City.
Mamdani, born in Uganda and the person of South Asian descent to win, is known as a socialist and serves in the New York State Assembly, and will become New York's youngest mayor in January.
During his campaign, Mamdani focused on social justice, housing, and public services, backing policies to strengthen economic equality in the city, and his win is seen as a victory for the progressive wing amid Democrats' divisions over confronting Donald Trump.
For her part, New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed on her (X) account, her eagerness to work with Mamdani to make New York City "more livable and more affordable," congratulating him on winning "one of the highest voter turnouts in the city's history."
More than two million New Yorkers cast ballots in the election, the highest participation in a mayoral race in more than 50 years, according to the city's Board of Elections. (end)
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