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Egypt's Sisi sworn in and hails 'historic moment' | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Ex-army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn in as Egypt's new president after a landslide win in May elections. | |
He said his election was "a democratic, peaceful handover of power" that represented "a historic moment and turning point" for the nation. | |
Security forces were deployed at key locations around the capital Cairo for the ceremony at the Supreme Constitutional Court. | |
The retired field marshal overthrew President Mohammed Morsi last July. | The retired field marshal overthrew President Mohammed Morsi last July. |
He has since been pursuing a crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which urged a boycott of the elections. | He has since been pursuing a crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which urged a boycott of the elections. |
Liberal and secular activists, including the 6 April youth movement which was prominent in the 2011 revolution that ousted long-serving President Hosni Mubarak, also shunned the 26-28 May poll in protest at the curtailing of civil rights. | Liberal and secular activists, including the 6 April youth movement which was prominent in the 2011 revolution that ousted long-serving President Hosni Mubarak, also shunned the 26-28 May poll in protest at the curtailing of civil rights. |
'No coup' | 'No coup' |
Mr Sisi, 59, was sworn in for a four-year term at a ceremony shown live on television. | Mr Sisi, 59, was sworn in for a four-year term at a ceremony shown live on television. |
He signed the document authorising him to take over power from interim president, Adly Mansour. | |
Mr Sisi said: "Throughout its extended history over thousands of years, our country has never witnessed a democratic peaceful handover of power." | |
He said it was time "for our great people to obtain the fruits of their two revolutions... the time has come to build a more stable future". | |
Mr Sisi's victory came almost a year after he ousted Egypt's first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi, following mass protests against his rule. | |
At the swearing-in, the Supreme Constitutional Court deputy head, Maher Sami, said the ousting was not a coup, and that Mr Sisi had responded to the will of the people. | |
Justices present for the ceremony applauded after Mr Sisi took the oath. | |
Who is Egypt's new president? | Who is Egypt's new president? |
Profile: Abdul Fattah al-Sisi | Profile: Abdul Fattah al-Sisi |
Mr Sisi vowed he would "establish a new Egypt - a strong, just and secure country which enjoys prosperity". | |
In the May elections, Mr Sisi secured 96.9% of the vote and his sole challenger, left-winger Hamdeen Sabahi, received only 3.1%. Turnout was less than 50%. | |
Crowds are expected to flock to Cairo's Tahrir Square to celebrate his victory, the BBC's Orla Guerin in the Egyptian capital reports. | |
Mr Sisi inherits a nation that is divided and weary, our correspondent says. Experts warn that if he cannot deliver in the next year or two he could also face a mass revolt. | |
One student, Israa Youssef, told Reuters: "Sisi has to do something in his first 100 days, people will watch closely and there might be another revolution. That's what people are like in this country." | |
Mr Sisi faces an array of challenges, including fixing the economy, preventing further political crises and easing poverty. | |
More than a quarter of Egyptians live below the poverty line. Mr Sisi has pledged to build 26 new tourist resorts, eight new airports and 22 industrial estates. | |
He has 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 crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies, in which more than 1,400 people have been killed and 16,000 detained. | |
Mr Morsi and other senior leaders of the Brotherhood, which has been designated a terrorist organisation, are standing trial on a series of charges. They strongly deny any wrongdoing. | |
Critics fear Mr Sisi will continue to show little tolerance for dissent. | |
Are you in Egypt? What do you think about the election of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi? What should the new president do now? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Egypt". | Are you in Egypt? What do you think about the election of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi? What should the new president do now? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Egypt". |