Egypt’s new strong man and retired field marshal, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, was on Sunday sworn in as the country’s second democratically-elected president.
At a ceremony attended mainly by African and Middle East leaders, Mr. Sisi said his priority will be restoring security to the conflict-ridden country.
Mr. Sisi took charge of Egypt in 2013 after deposing former President Mohammed Morsi through a military coup on July 3.
He handed over the reigns of power to the head of the judiciary as the military, which Mr. Sisi headed, launched a brutal crackdown on protesters asking for the reinstatement of Mr. Morsi.
Thousands were killed in the crackdown. The army-backed government later outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood which Mr. Morsi belonged to.
Mr. Sisi won wide praise in Egypt for clamping down on the Muslim Brotherhood. His popularity soared within Egypt, amid growing violence by militants opposed to the government’s move.
The former army chief secured a landslide victory last month in a presidential election that featured one more candidate.
The inauguration on Sunday of the new leader was low key amid tight security.
President Sisi called for hard work and the development of freedom “in a responsible framework away from chaos” but did not mention human rights or democracy, Reuters reported.
Mr. Sisi is the sixth Egyptian leader with a military background.
Under former leader, Hosni Mubarak, Mr. Sisi served as the chief of military intelligence.
Parliamentary elections are expected later this year, but government opponents have been crushed and political parties weakened.