Former defence minister Mr Alfred Moisiu was sworn in as Albania's president yesterday.
He pledged to become a symbol of unity for all of his countrymen regardless of their political beliefs.
"I am a president [resulting] from a hand shake," Mr Moisiu told parliament, referring to the unprecedented agreement between Albania's two major rival parties on him as the head of state. "I will exercise all my constitutional rights to consolidate this emancipating move".
Mr Moisiu was elected last month by a comfortable majority in parliament, in a rare act of political consensus between the governing Socialist Party and the opposition party of former president Mr Sali Berisha.
A World War II veteran, Mr Moisiu was defence minister in 1991-1992 in a transition government formed after the fall of communism. He also served as deputy defence minister from 1994 to 1997.
He replaced Mr Rexhep Meidani who took office in June 1997, after the collapse of shady investment schemes led to general elections.
The mutual endorsement of Mr Moisiu as an independent candidate by Berisha and Socialist Party leader Mr Fatos Nano was meant to end the political bickering that has left lawmakers largely ineffective in introducing economic and political reforms.
As a first task, Mr Moisiu is expected to ask the governing party to create a new government to replace the cabinet headed by prime minister Mr Pandeli Majko.
AP
