Syrian President Bashar Assad sworn in for fourth term after much-criticsed election

Mr Assad’s re-election in May in a landslide was never in doubt. It was described by the west and Syria’s opposition as illegitimate and a sham

President Bashar Assad takes the oath of office. Picture: Syrian Presidency/Facebook/AP

Syrian president Bashar Assad has been sworn in for a fourth seven-year term in the war-torn country, pledging to overcome the impact of western economic sanctions and retake territory still out of his control after 10 years of fighting.

Even as the swearing-in ceremony was held at the presidential palace, attended by clergymen, political figures, army officers and other supporters, activists reported that government shelling in the last rebel enclave in the north-west killed at least six people, including three children and their grandmother.