BISSAU, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Guinea-Bissau's president-elect Umaro Sissoco Embalo was sworn in on Thursday by the first Vice President of the National People's Assembly Nuno Gomes Na Biam.
"My presidency will fight against all the bads that affect the country," Embalo said in his inaugural speech, listing fights against corruption, drug trafficking and nepotism as his main challenges and promising to promote "national reconciliation."
The ceremony took place despite a continuing legal and political battle over the official results. There was no authorization from the Supreme Court of Justice, and National People's Assembly President Guinea-Bissau Cipriano Cassama was absent.
However, many opposition leaders who had supported Embalo in the second round of presidential elections, as well as outgoing President Jose Mario Vaz, assisted in the ceremony.
According to the results published by the country's National Election Commission, Embalo as candidate of the Movement for Democratic Alternation obtained 53.55 percent of the votes during the presidential election runoff held on Dec. 29, 2019.
The Supreme Court of Justice issued rulings requiring a check of the vote tally sheets after the party of defeated candidate Domingos Simoes Pereira filed a lawsuit, but the dispute has not been resolved yet.
