Abdel Fattah Sisi will take his oath of office at the Constitutional Court
This image made from Egyptian State Television shows, soon to be sworn in President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, at the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday. (Photo: AP)
Cairo: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took the oath of office as Egypt's president on Sunday after a landslide election victory following the ouster of Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi last year.
The retired army chief took the oath in a ceremony at the Constitutional Court and broadcast live on television, almost a year since he overthrew Morsi and unleashed a crackdown on his Islamist followers.
In a televised speech after the poll, Sisi said he wanted "freedom" and "social justice", echoing the slogan of the 2011 revolution.
He also faces a wide array of other challenges, including fixing the economy, preventing further political crises and easing poverty. More than a quarter of Egyptians live below the poverty line - most in rural areas.
Sisi has also promised to restore security in a country where attacks by Islamist militants have left hundreds of security personnel dead over the past 11 months.
The militants have stepped up attacks in response to the state's crackdown on Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its allies, in which more than 1,400 people have been killed and 16,000 detained.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sent congratulatory messages to Sisi after his successful election.
Modi in his message said that he was "confident that under your able leadership, Egypt will witness a new era of stability and prosperity," and that he "looked forward to working closely with you to further strengthen and expand our relations in the years ahead to fulfill the aspirations of our peoples".
( Source : AFP )
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