Ashraf Ghani was sworn in as new president of Afghanistan on Monday, in front of about 1,500 national and international guests inside the heavily fortified official palace, dpa reported. "I swear in the name of God the almighty to obey and support Islam, and the constitution," Ghani repeated the official oath administered by the country's chief justice, Abdul Salam Azimi. Dignitaries from 40 countries attended the ceremony, which marked the first peaceful transition of power from one elected president to another in the history of Afghanistan. Vice Presidents Abdul Rashid Dostum and Mohammad Sarwar Danesh were also sworn in. Ghani then officially appointed rival candidate Abdullah Abdullah as chief executive officer, a newly created similar to a prime minister in the national unity government.
