Sanaa: New Yemen President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi sworn in

Abdurabu Mansur Hadi has been sworn as Yemen’s president in Sanaa, officially ending the 33-year rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Hadi, who served as Saleh's vice president, stood as the sole candidate in a Feb. 21 election to replace Saleh in a power transfer deal brokered by Gulf countries and backed by the West.

Saleh agreed to stand aside under the same deal.

He said in a speech aired by Al Jazeera that: "The election grants Yemenis the hope and it holds the parties and political forces the responsibility to overcome the past."

Reuters cited him as saying that Yemen must tackle other pressing issues, such as Yemen's economic problems and resettling Yemenis displaced by the crisis.

"If we don't deal with challenges practically, then chaos will reign," Hadi said.

More than 99 per cent of the 6.6 million votes cast were for Hadi, Yemen's electoral commission said according to CNN. The only option on the ballot was to vote "yes" for Hadi.

Hadi said the government in Yemen had now "been backed by popular legitimacy that no one can doubt." 

According to the Wall Street Journal, larger-than-expected turnout was seen as giving Hadi a strong popular mandate.

Other challenges included "a growing threat from Al Qaeda militants, widespread poverty and a southern secessionist movement," the WSJ wrote.

Saleh agreed to relinquish power in the Arab world’s poorest country after months of protests inspired by the revolts that forced out leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Bloomberg wrote.