DAKAR (Senegal), April 2: Senegal’s new president Macky Sall took the oath of office on Monday in a ceremony held one week after the country’s long-time incumbent conceded defeat only hours after polls closed.

The presidential runoff vote solidified the country’s reputation as one of the few mature democracies in western Africa, where the unpopular president was ousted at the ballot box instead of a coup.

Hundreds gathered in their finest clothes at a hotel in Senegal’s seaside capital for the brief, low-key ceremony. Those who were not able to enter the tent set up outdoors for the ceremony watched it on a giant TV screen under the shade of palm trees.—AP