Arnie sworn in as Governor of California

Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in today as the 38th governor of California.

The ceremony completed a meteoric rise from bodybuilder and action hero to leader of the nation’s most populated state in a historic recall election.

The 56-year-old Austrian immigrant took the oath of office before an audience of 7,500 dignitaries and supporters on the steps of the Capitol – as millions more around the world watched the event live on television.

Schwarzenegger’s wife, Maria Shriver, held the Bible while California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George administered the oath.

"I am humbled, I am honoured and I am moved beyond words to be your governor,'' Schwarzenegger said after being sworn in.

Although he had no prior experience as an elected official, the Republican Schwarzenegger was swept into office in the October 7 election that ousted Democratic Governor Gray Davis, reviled by the voters for his handling of the state’s ailing economy.

The ceremony, while steeped in tradition, was void of the pageantry often associated with California inaugurations.

Bitterness over the divisive recall vote and the state’s financial troubles prompted Schwarzenegger to put a damper on livelier festivities – although plenty of celebrities and journalists were on hand.

Former Miss America Vanessa Williams, who appeared with Schwarzenegger in the 1995 film ”Eraser,” sang the national anthem.

Nearly 740 journalists were expected to cover the ceremony – numbers similar to a presidential inauguration.