Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term on Wednesday, vowing more defiance of the West at a ceremony boycotted by his rivals, as police in riot gear broke up protests by opposition.The 52-year-old took the oath of office for another four years at a ceremony in parliament after his landslide election victory in June that triggered the worst turmoil in the country's history.
| Prominent opposition leaders were absent from the ceremony, and outside a force of about 1,000 riot police and Basij volunteer militiamen used pepper spray on demonstrators who claim his election was rigged. |
Prominent opposition leaders were absent from the ceremony, and outside a force of about 1,000 riot police and Basij volunteer militiamen used pepper spray on demonstrators who claim his election was rigged, witnesses said.
The ceremony was boycotted by powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mr Ahmadinejad's main challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi. Some foreign diplomats were present, including envoys from Britain, France and Sweden, which currently holds the EU presidency.
President Ahmadinejad now has two weeks to form a government. 'We will resist oppressors and try to correct the global discriminatory mechanisms in order to benefit all the nations of the world,' he said. 'The June 12 epic is the start of major change in Iran and in the world.'
He said Iranians should play a 'more effective role' in global affairs, and pledged to fight for social justice.
Mr Ahmadinejad took aim at the United States after the White House acknowledged him as the 'elected' president of Iran but stopped short of declaring him the legitimate president and said it had no plans to congratulate him. 'This means they only want democracy which serves their interests and they don't respect people's votes and rights,' Mr Ahmadinejad retorted. 'Iranians will neither value your scowling and bullying nor your smiles and greetings.'