ACCRA, Ghana, July 25 (UPI) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, sworn in Tuesday after the death of John Atta Mills, said he will maintain the country's peace and stability.
Mahama, 53, took the oath of office within hours of his predecessor's death from throat cancer.
The BBC said Mahama will serve as president until the next election, scheduled for December.
"I wish Ghanaians to be assured that all is well," Mahama said when he was sworn in.
"We are going to maintain the peace, unity and stability that Ghana is noted for."
Mills, a member of the National Democratic Congress, had been president since 2009 and planned to run for a second term.
The head of the opposition New Patriotic Party praised the handling of the transition of power after Atta's death.
"Ghana actually has handled itself very well. We have never been through this before," he was quoted as saying by by the BBC. "Yet the transition that we saw in parliament has been very well handled, very smooth. We are showing a maturity that must encourage all Ghanaians."
