LONDON 

The mayor of London on Wednesday extended "huge congratulations" to Zohran Mamdani following his victory in the New York mayoral race, saying hope won against fear.

"New Yorkers faced a clear choice - between hope and fear - and just like we've seen in London - hope won," Sadiq Khan, who became London's first Muslim mayor in 2016, wrote on US social media company X. He was reelected for a record third term in 2024.

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

Being a member of the Labour Party, Khan is also ideologically aligned with Mamdani, who became the first Muslim mayor of New York City in Tuesday's elections and identifies himself as a social democrat.

Both Khan and Mamdani have South Asian roots. While Khan was born to Pakistani immigrants in the UK, Mamdani is son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan author Mahmood Mamdani of Indian descent. Born in Kampala, Mamdani moved to New York with his family at age seven.

The two have also been targeted by US President Donald Trump, whose policies critics say have targeted immigrant communities.

Trump describes Mamdani as a "communist," and says that Khan has "done a terrible job," called him a "nasty person" and that London wants "to go to Sharia law" under the current mayor.