Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana gestures during the inauguration ceremony for his second term of office in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, Jan. 19, 2007. Ravalomanana won 54.79 percents of the votes in the presidential election in December, 2006 and was re-elected as Madagascar's president for the next five years.(Xinhua Photo)   Photo Gallery>>>

ANTANANARIVO, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- In a grand ceremony attended by tens of thousands of people, Marc Ravalomanana sworn in here on Friday as Madagascar's eighth president since its independence from France in 1960.

    In an address to his people, Ravalonamana promised to transform his island country so as to compete in the global place,to win the fight against poverty and to ensure that every child has an education.

    The president also promised to strengthen cooperation with regional and international organizations and promote regional integration.

    "Regional integration through SADC (Southern African Development Community, COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) and COI (Indian Ocean Commission) and participation in various trade groups and forums throughout the world are now more important than ever before in helping to increase our competitiveness and succeed in the age of globalization," he said.

    The president also appealed to his opposition to be partner with him, saying that it was the time to put their differences and disagreements aside and work together to transform Madagascar.

    A dozen of foreign delegations, including representative of the Chinese Government Zhai Jun and special envoys from Comoros, France, Japan, Mauritius and the United States were present at the ceremony.

    Ravalomanana was re-elected in a national election last December, winning nearly 55 percent of the vote to beat 13 challengers.