Putin inaugurated as Russian president

Russian President Vladimir Putin was inaugurated today, officially starting his second term with a solemn ceremony in an ornate Kremlin hall nearly two months after winning re-election as leader of the vast nation.

Minutes after the clock on the Kremlin’s Spassky Tower struck noon, Putin swore an oath to serve the country, his right hand on the constitution.

After the singing of Russia’s anthem, he made an inaugural speech in the gilded Andreyevsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

About 1,700 guests were invited, including government officials, cultural figures and foreign ambassadors, according to Channel One television.

Despite the pomp and ceremony, Putin’s inauguration comes as an anticlimax after he won a second term – his last, according to the constitution – in a vote whose result seemed certain long before the March 14 election.

The popular president won with more than 70%, according to official results, and none of his challengers received more than 15%. Putin’s opponents and international observers said the campaign fell short of democratic standards because of biased media coverage.

The cabinet will now resign as required by the constitution. Putin named a new prime minister and reshuffled his cabinet shortly before the presidential vote, and he is likely to retain all the ministers.