Georgia's new president sworn in

Georgia’s new president Mikhail Saakashvili was sworn in today, taking the helm amid high hopes that he can bring prosperity to the beleaguered ex-Soviet republic.

Saakashvili, his hand on Georgia’s constitution, took the presidential oath in front of the parliament building where two months ago he led protesters who evicted long-time former President Eduard Shevardnadze.

The parliament building in Tbilisi, the capital, was hung with four huge white and red medieval banners used by Saakashvili’s opposition movement.

After his inauguration, Saakashvili signed an act making the medieval banner Georgia’s new flag.

Armed with a powerful mandate after winning more than 96% of the vote in this month’s election, the 36-year-old, United States-trained lawyer set an ambitious agenda, pledging to lift Georgia from its post-Soviet morass of economic decline, civil wars and endemic corruption into a new era of stability and growth.

The inauguration was attended by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, emphasising his country’s interest in strategically-placed Georgia.