Umaro Sissoco Embalo swore himself in as the new president of Guinea-Bissau on Thursday, defying a bitter ongoing row about the outcome of the December 29 elections, an AFP reporter saw.
“I swear on my honour to defend the constitution, to respect it and have it respected,” Embalo said before a crowd at an upscale hotel in the West African state’s capital, Bissau.
The ceremony took place despite a continuing legal and political battle over the official results.
Defeated candidate Domingos Simoes Pereira has filed a suit at the Supreme Court. (AFP)