(MENAFN) The mayor of London extended "huge congratulations" to Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday following his triumph in the New York mayoral election, emphasizing that hope had prevailed over fear.

"New Yorkers faced a clear choice - between hope and fear - and just like we've seen in London - hope won," wrote Sadiq Khan, who became London's first Muslim mayor in 2016, on the US social media platform X. Khan secured a historic third term in 2024, setting a new record.

"Huge congratulations to Zohran Mamdani on his historic campaign," he further remarked.

As a member of the Labour Party, Khan shares ideological values with Mamdani, who emerged as the first Muslim mayor of New York City in Tuesday's elections and identifies as a social democrat.

Both leaders have South Asian heritage. Khan was born to Pakistani immigrants in the United Kingdom, while Mamdani is the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan author Mahmood Mamdani, who is of Indian descent.

Born in Kampala, Mamdani relocated to New York at the age of seven with his family.

Both politicians have faced criticism from US President Donald Trump, whose policies are often said to disproportionately affect immigrant communities.

Trump has labeled Mamdani a "communist," criticized Khan by stating he has "done a terrible job," called him a "nasty person," and claimed that London under Khan seeks "to go to Sharia law."

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