Ollanta Humala is sworn in as new Peru president

 

Former army officer Ollanta Humala has been sworn in as Peru's new president, vowing to eradicate poverty and social exclusion.

His inauguration was being attended by regional leaders, although not by outgoing President Alan Garcia.

Mr Humala defeated right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in June's second round.

Once a fiery nationalist, Mr Humala says his approach is now of the moderate left, modelled on Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Mr Garcia left the presidential palace, handing over the sash for his successor.

Breaking with tradition, he did not travel to Congress to attend the inauguration.

Mr Garcia had previously indicated he would not be present in order to avoid a repeat of 1990 when he was loudly booed when handing over to President Alberto Fujimori.

Then Peru was mired in hyperinflation and beset by a bloody leftist insurgency.

Mr Humala, 49, inherits a more prosperous Peru but faces a range of challenges.

In his first address as president, he vowed to keep existing free-market economic and trade policies intact, to provide a minimum pension for all Peruvians over 65 and to raise the minimum wage.