Mohammed Morsi Officially Sworn In As Egypt’s First Freely Elected President

Mohammed Morsi was sworn into office on Saturday as Egypt’s first freely elected president. He is also the first freely elected Islamic president in the Arab world, making the event historic in more than one way.

Morsi took the oath of office as the country’s first president since Mubarak was ousted 16 months ago. He appeared live on state television in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court, which is composed of 18 black-robed judges who sit in a Nile-side seat that is reminiscent of ancient Egyptian temples, reports The Huffington Post.

During the ceremony, Morsi stated:

“We aspire to a better tomorrow, a new Egypt and a second republic. Today, the Egyptian people laid the foundation of a new life – absolute freedom, a genuine democracy and stability.”

Mohammed Morsi, 60, is from the Muslim Brotherhood party, and is a U.S. trained engineer. The fundamentalist Brotherhood party has spent most of its 84 years as an outlawed organization and has been targeted harshly by successive governments, according to The Huffington Post.

MSNBC reports that the newly elected Egyptian president said in his inauguration speech that:

“I swear by Almighty God that I will sincerely protect the republican system and that I respect the constitution and the rule of law. I will look after the interests of the people and protect the independence of the nation and safety of its territory.”

Morsi made the same declaration on Friday in front of tens of thousands of Egyptian people in Tahrir Square.

Do you think that Mohammed Morsi’s election and inauguration marks the start of a new era in Egyptian democracy?

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