Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro sworn in as new president
Venezuelan acting president Nicolas Maduro clenches his fist after he was sworn in as acting President, in Caracas, on March 8, 2013. Maduro took over as acting president in a ceremony rejected by the opposition after a tearful farewell to Hugo Chavez during a rousing state funeral for the firebrand leftist.
Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as the new president of Venezuela on Friday, succeeding Hugo Chavez who died of cancer in March after fourteen years in office.
"I swear it before the eternal memory of the supreme commander," Maduro said, taking the oath of office by National Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello, as the room broke out in cheers, Agence France-Presse reported.
However, Maduro's inaugural speech was briefly interrupted after a man in a red jacket rushed the stage and grabbed the microphone, Al Jazeera said.
World leaders from Brazil, Cuba, Iran and many Arab countries attended the ceremony.
On Friday, thousands of Venezuelan took to the streets of Caracas to support the nation's new president, AFP said.
More from GlobalPost: Venezuela vote: Chavez's heir Maduro scrapes by amid rigging allegation
Maduro comes into office just one day after a decision by Venezuela's electoral body to audit all the votes in Sunday's disputed presidential poll, the BBC said.
In the final tally, Maduro beat opposition leader Henrique Capriles by 1.5 percent of the vote. Some believe there were irregularities in the vote despite the fact Capriles has accepted the count.