“Mamdani, socialist and radical.” This is the title of the recent reflection by Pedro Nuno Santos on Facebook on Wednesday, where the former General Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) expressed that the victory of Zohran Mamdani, the next mayor of New York, represents a “ray of light and hope.”
“And thus comes a ray of light and hope from the USA. Not just hope for New Yorkers, but also for those on the Left who still believe that the path is not in resembling the Right. Who believe that the obsession with the center and moderation makes us uninteresting, unnecessary, and distances us from those we want to represent and defend,” he began, then praised the mayor elected last Tuesday.
Pedro Nuno Santos highlighted that “Mamdani always proudly assumed himself as a socialist in a country where it seemed forbidden to be a socialist” and “never feared being labeled a radical, nor did he strive to appear moderate – the new disease of social democracy.”
Arguing that “the times are not favorable to the Left anywhere in the world, except for some pockets of resistance,” the former PS General Secretary nonetheless considered that “the path cannot be the abandonment of the Left and democratic socialism.” “Social democracy must be able to reinvent itself, but, even to do so successfully, it needs to make its self-criticism,” he stated in the post.
“Those at the top have no reason to be angry, life is not going badly for them”
Pedro Nuno Santos further emphasized in the same post that “over decades, we have done extraordinary things that have changed the lives of many people,” but “we cannot ignore that we arrive at the present with too many families in difficulty.”
He continued: “There are too many Portuguese who have benefited little from the economic growth we have had despite their work. There are too many Portuguese who struggle every day to make their salary last until the end of the month. Too many who strain themselves to pay the rent or mortgage. Too many who rise at dawn to catch packed buses to work in the big cities for a salary that barely allows living. Too many young people without financial capacity to become independent despite having studied and working.”
“While we look at this reality and merely respond with the fantastic things we have done, without the capacity to admit that our policies were not sufficient to change these people’s lives, we will never regain their trust,” nor “will we be able to reinvent our policies,” he reflected.
“Those at the top have no reason to be angry, life is not going badly for them. But the people, who relied on social democracy to defend them, have,” concluded Pedro Nuno Santos.
Zohran Mamdani made history by being elected mayor of New York for the Democratic Party on Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim and declared progressive to lead the largest city in the United States and the financial capital of the country.
Lusa | 07:11 – 05/11/2025
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani, born to Indian parents in Uganda, spent part of his childhood in South Africa before moving to New York with his family at the age of seven.
He is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair, known for films like ‘Monsoon Wedding,’ and university professor Mahmood Mamdani.
When he entered the race for the Democratic primaries last fall, which would determine the candidate for the New York City leadership, Mamdani was a relatively unknown state assemblyman from New York but gained prominence in the polls through face-to-face interactions, viral social media videos, and political proposals that particularly resonated with younger voters.
Mamdani’s growing popularity became evident when Cuomo, already confident in his own victory in the Democratic primaries, began paying for large advertisements on billboards, media outlets, and even on YouTube, obsessively attacking the opponent by labeling him as an extremist who would drive the city to bankruptcy.
Mamdani emphasized his lifestyle differences with Cuomo, noting that he lives in a small apartment in the popular Queens neighborhood and uses public transportation or a bike daily.
His campaign was based on the aspiration to make New York a more affordable city for its residents. He proposed taxing the rich to resolve the city’s economic accessibility crisis, leading to him being labeled by U.S. President Donald Trump and other Republicans as a “communist” and “extremist.”
