Malawi president is inaugurated

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika has been sworn in for a second five-year term.

During an inauguration ceremony attended by several regional leaders, Mr Mutharika said fighting corruption would continue to be a top priority.

Earlier Malawi's election commission said he had won more than 2.7m votes, with nearest rival John Tembo taking nearly 1.3m.

The opposition, which contests the results, boycotted the inauguration.

During the ceremony in the main stadium in Blantyre, Mr Mutharika said: "I shall continue to fight corruption because it is evil... it robs the poor and denies them their legitimate right to a decent living."

Presidents attending the event included Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, Zambia's Rupiya Banda, and Mozambique's Armando Guebuza.

BBC Online, May 22nd, 2009