Poland's new president sworn in
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-12-23 21:30

A former mayor of Warsaw, Lech Kaczynski, was inaugurated Friday as Poland's new president, promising to fight corruption and boost the economy. 

At a ceremony before the National Assembly, Kaczynski vowed in a speech to be "faithful to the country's constitution, and protect dignity of the nation, independence and security of the state."

He focused his 20-minute speech on domestic issues, including getting rid of corruption and promoting the economy.

Kaczynski, a 56-year-old former Solidarity activist and ex-Warsaw mayor, said, "The state is not performing its duties properly ... it must be cleansed and rebuilt."

Kaczynski sticks to traditional social values.

In foreign affairs, he said Poland would go on to seek strong relations with the United States and pledged to make ties with Russia "an important issue" for his presidency.

He won the presidency in an Oct. 23 runoff election.