Juan Orlando Hernández Sworn In As President Of Honduras

Juan Orlando Hernández has been sworn in as President of Honduras at a ceremony in the National Stadium Tiburcio Andino in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. The ceremony was attended by 56 international delegates including Spain's crown prince, carefully guarded by security forces. The presidential sash was bestowed on Hernandez by Congress speaker Mauricio Oliva, also a member of Hernández' ruling right-wing National Party.

"I promise to be faithful to the Republic, its Constitution and the laws," said Hernandez. Hernández is Honduras' ninth president since 1982, before which time the country had endured twenty years of dictatorial military rule. The ceremony was attended by Hondruans from all over the country's 18 states. Delegates from the United States, Canada, Suth Korea, El Salvador and Switzerland, among others, were in attendance. The President's speech was accompanied by raucous applause.

Hernández' opponent, President Mel Zelaya from the Libre Party did not attend, angered by comments which implicated his party in criminal activity. However, numerous world leaders did attend the ceremony including the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla; Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga; Panama, Ricardo Martinelli; the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina; and Taiwan, Ma Ying-Jeou; as well as Spain's Crown Prince Felipe. President Obama sent Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.