Photo Gallery Karzai's Inauguration
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai took the oath of office for the second time on Thursday amid loud calls from his Western patrons to step up the fight against corruption in his country.
Karzai has ruled Afghanistan since NATO pushed out the Taliban leadership in the autumn of 2001. In recent years, however, the West has fallen out of love with the Pashtun leader as corruption and the drug trade have grown exponentially.
But Thursday was a time for celebration. Here, Karzai reviews an honor guard just prior to the swearing-in ceremony.
Karzai took the oath of office, with his hand on the Koran, from Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi at 8:00 a.m. CET. The West would like to see significant progress in the fight against rampant corruption in the country. Karzai's Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim, however, is thought to head up the country's lucrative kidnapping industry.
In his inaugural address, Karzai promised to "learn from his mistakes" and promised to improve governance. His re-election was marred by severe irregularities.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle was among the foreign dignitaries on hand for the event. He said: "We will take President Karzai at his word and ensure that he, having said the right thing, will now do the right thing."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also on hand, having flown in to Kabul on Wednesday. She told reporters that Karzai's efforts against corruption thus far have been "not nearly enough."
Security was high in Kabul for the event. Karzai had declared Thursday to be a national holiday, but residents of the capital were urged to stay indoors.
The Kabul airport was closed to regularly scheduled flights on Thursday.
