Ex-army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn in as Egypt's new president after a landslide win in May elections.

He said his election was "a democratic, peaceful handover of power" that represented "a historic moment and turning point" for the nation.

Security forces were deployed at key locations around the capital Cairo for the ceremony at the Supreme Constitutional Court.

The retired field marshal overthrew President Mohammed Morsi last July.

He has since been pursuing a crackdown on Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which urged a boycott of the elections.

Liberal and secular activists, including the 6 April youth movement which was prominent in the 2011 revolution that ousted long-serving President Hosni Mubarak, also shunned the 26-28 May poll in protest at the curtailing of civil rights.
'No coup'

Mr Sisi, 59, was sworn in for a four-year term at a ceremony shown live on television.

He signed the document authorising him to take over power from interim president, Adly Mansour.

Mr Sisi said: "Throughout its extended history over thousands of years, our country has never witnessed a democratic peaceful handover of power."

He said it was time "for our great people to obtain the fruits of their two revolutions... the time has come to build a more stable future".

Mr Sisi's victory came almost a year after he ousted Egypt's first freely elected president, Mohamed Morsi, following mass protests against his rule.

At the swearing-in, the Supreme Constitutional Court deputy head, Maher Sami, said the ousting was not a coup, and that Mr Sisi had responded to the will of the people.

Justices present for the ceremony applauded after Mr Sisi took the oath.

BBC