By Abdullah Al-Enezi
NEW YORK, Nov 3 (KUNA) -- The City of New York will witness one of its most intense mayoral races on Wednesday, held amid wide national attention due to competition among candidates -- Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and Independent Andrew Cuomo.
Mayor Eric Adams withdrew his candidacy after coming under political pressure and facing heavy criticism for his performance in his first term.
Perhaps one the most notable candidates to make a splash is Mamdani, who is leading polls by 15 to 20 percent ahead of his competition, with his campaign focused on social justice issues, improving public services, and boosting transparency in the City Hall.
Mamdani, a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist of Muslim background, has been the subject of smear campaigns for his positions on Middle East issues and also his perceived "socialist agenda." Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary last June, is entering the race as an independent, basing his campaign on his experience as Governor of New York State for three consecutive terms. He stressed that he was the only candidate capable of managing New York's economic and infrastructural challenges.
Sliwa, the Republican candidate, is running with plans to improve security in New York City as a condition to attract more investment and earning trust of residents and tourists alike.
Affordable housing, public transportation, healthcare, and slow economic growth were the main issues addressed during election debates for the mayor's post of New York City.
A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, Connecticut, between October 23 and 27, showed that Mamdani was leading by 43 percent, followed by Cuomo with 33 percent, and Sliwa by 14 percent.
Early voting began on October 25 and continued until November second, while polls for the elections will officially begin on November 4 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone in the US.
Some 275,006 registered Democratic voters cast their ballot in the early five-day voting period, while 46,115 Republican and 42,383 independent voters did the same.
The mayoral race is supervised by the city's council, with some 1,200 ballot stations spread across the five boroughs of New York.
The race is expected to have a large turnout this time around due to voters' growing political awareness, and broad national media attention.
Security has been beefed up in the city to ensure public safety and a smooth election process.
New York City is home to some eight million people and has an annual budget of USD 100 billion, making the position of mayor one of the most sought-after posts. (end) ats.gta