Malawian president inaugurated after reelection

May 23, 2009 Bingu wa Mutharika, the president of the African country of Malawi, was inaugurated on Friday after having been reelected to a second five-year term.

The Malawian election commission had earlier reported that wa Mutharika had won the election, having taken 2.7 million votes, more than twice than the 1.3 million votes received by the second place contestant, John Tembo.

In a statement at his inauguration ceremony, Mutharika said one of his highest priorities would be to battle with corruption.

"My stance remains unwavering," he said. "I shall continue to fight corruption because it is evil. Corruption in whatever form or shape is an enemy to growth and prosperity because it robs the poor, and denies their legitimate right to development."

He also promised to focus on food security and agriculture.

"In the next five years my administration will continue to prioritize agriculture and food security," the president said. "We will remain committed in ensuring that our current food production levels increase further to sustain the country's food self-sufficiency."

The opposition has contested the election results and boycotted the president's inauguration.

"These elections have been rigged," opposition leader John Tembo said. He has said he will challenge the election's outcome in court.