Guatemala's Social Democrat Alvaro Colom was sworn in Monday as the country's president for the 2008-2012 period at a ceremony in which he received the presidential sash, pin and constitutional collar.

According to news reaching here, Colom and his future Vice President Rafael Espada both took the oath, swearing allegiance to the constitution with their right hands raised in front of 2,000 guests, including ten heads of state and representatives of 78 nations and regions. The ceremony was held at Guatemala City's central Miguel Angel Asturias National Theatre.

After his investiture, Colom said the nation has embarked on a change towards social democracy and a government with a social focus.

During his election campaign Colom promised to promote free markets and reduce inequality focusing on the following areas -- fighting poverty and crime via social spending, generating jobs via investment promotion, and purging the police and the courts of corruption.

He has also publicly stated that broad dialogue between political parties is essential to overcome the nation's social and economic setbacks that have continued despite the end in 1996 of a 30-year armed conflict, in which government-backed paramilitary forces fought guerrillas.

The following presidents attended the ceremony: Brazil's Luis Inacio da Silva, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Colombia's Alvaro Uribe, Costa Rica's Oscar Arias, Mexico's Felipe Calderon, El Salvador's Antonio Saca,Honduras's Manuel Zelaya, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Panama's Martin Torrijos and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

Born in Guatemala City on June 15, 1951, Colom received his industrial engineering degree in just three years at the University of San Carlos, before starting a textile business. He also led the nation's export association from 1977 to 1990.

In 1991, he became deputy economy minister and then director of the National Peace Fund (Fonapaz), which administered international aid pledged as part of the process to end Guatemala's civil war.

Under Colom's leadership, Fonapaz helped repatriate and resettle at least 40,000 Guatemalan refugees who had fled to Mexico to escape Guatemala's political violence.

Before last year's win, Colom had campaigned for the presidency on two separate occasions. In 1999, he polled third place as the candidate for the Guatemalan Revolutionary Unity Party, the political wing of the demobilized guerrillas. In 2003, he came second representing the UNE, a party he founded, losing to Oscar Berger.

He finally won the presidency on Nov. 4 last year with a narrow lead over Otto Perez Molina, a former general representing the right-wing Patriotic Party.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2008)