Are Zohran Mamdani's 'Radical' US Policies Considered Normal in Europe?

WISE NEWS PRESS / BERLIN, GERMANY — Nov. 12, 2025

Is it far-left or mainstream? A utopian vision or ordinary policy? Following Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York mayoral election, European experts debated where his platform—which includes rent freezes, free buses, and universal childcare—would fall on the continent’s political spectrum.

Shortly after the 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani won the election, several European far-left parties celebrated his victory. Germany’s Left Party (Die Linke) posted on X: "Whether it’s New York or Berlin: We all want affordable rents and a good life for our families and friends." Manon Aubrey, leader of France's far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party, declared Mamdani's victory "a lesson for the global left: we win not by watering down economic liberalism, but by fighting it tooth and nail."

However, not everyone agrees that Mamdani’s platform represents radical left policies. Some social media users argued that many of his proposals already exist in some form within Europe’s centrist and even center-right governments. One X user, in a post viewed over 627,000 times, said, "Mamdani would be considered center-right in Europe." Alexander Verbeek, a Dutch environmentalist, described the sentiment as "looking out for each other through public programs is not radical socialism."

Because Europe is a continent housing a wide range of ideas and political movements, any direct comparison is challenging. Experts compared Mamdani's three key policy points against existing European precedents.

Rent Freeze: Not European Mainstream

A centerpiece of Mamdani's platform is the plan to freeze rents on approximately 2 million apartments in New York, a city consistently ranked among the world's most expensive for housing. Critics argue this policy would harm the city's housing supply.

Similar measures have been implemented and subsequently failed in parts of Europe. In 2020, Berlin's state parliament passed a law capping rents in specific districts and freezing rent increases for a five-year period. This law was later overturned by Germany's highest court as unconstitutional. While broad rent freezes are rare and politically divisive across Europe, measures to control rent are common, often taking the form of rent caps (Mietpreisbremse in Germany).

Javier Carbonell, a policy analyst at the European Policy Centre, stated: "Rent freezes are not implemented in most European cities. It's normal to be proposed by some far-left or Green parties, but it is not a standard policy in Europe." In summary, Mamdani's proposal goes further than what most European governments implement and aligns with the demands of some segments of the European far-left.

Universal Childcare: Closer to the Center-Left Consensus

Mamdani pushed for free childcare for all children aged six weeks to five years in New York. If implemented, this would mark a significant shift in the US, where the annual cost of private childcare is estimated to be between $16,900 and $26,000 (€15,500 to €18,000).

In much of Europe, subsidized childcare is already the standard, and in some cases, it is free. For instance, Denmark guarantees every child access to a publicly subsidized childcare facility from about six months of age, with parental fees capped at approximately 25% of the total cost. Similarly, Germany guarantees every child a childcare spot from the age of one. These policies are not limited to the far-left in Europe but were often implemented by center-left governments and maintained by center-right coalitions.

Free Buses: Relatively Rare in Europe

Mamdani championed free buses as a signature policy, which critics called unrealistic and too costly.

Completely free public transport is rare in Europe: Luxembourg became the first country to make public transport free for both residents and visitors in 2020, followed by Malta in 2022, which extended free travel to its residents. While researchers found that people used public transport more frequently after these policies were implemented, they have generally remained isolated local experiments. Social democratic governments have typically prioritized cheaper fares and free travel for specific groups like the elderly and students over entirely free systems.

Where Does Mamdani Stand on the Political Spectrum?

While some argue Mamdani's agenda would be considered center-right in Europe due to the resemblance of some policies to European social programs, experts argue this is an exaggeration.

Carbonell stated that the claim that "Mamdani is a moderate leftist in Europe, where his policies are more mainstream—is true, but only up to a point." Carbonell suggested Mamdani's economic policies are closer to the center-left in Spain than in Germany.

Carbonell emphasized that Mamdani’s platform stands out in Europe primarily on the issue of cultural policy and identity.

"He is much further left than most of Europe on multiculturalism," Carbonell said. "There is a much more open emphasis on the fact that he is a Muslim politician and on multiculturalism. This is much less common among standard left-wing European parties."

Roberta Haar, a professor of foreign policy analysis at Maastricht University, suggested that Mamdani's efforts to reduce the regulatory burden—a policy more akin to Trump's deregulation—adds complexity to his political positioning. Ultimately, Mamdani's platform highlights issues of affordability and access to housing and essential services, which have become central concerns across the European political spectrum, from the far-left to the right.

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Source : Euro News