Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sworn in for third term

June 3 (UPI) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a third term Saturday after winning last month's run-off election.

Ergodan, in taking the oath of office at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, swore "upon my honor and dignity, before the great Turkish nation and before history, to protect the existence and independence of the state, the indivisible integrity of the country and nation, and the sovereignty of the nation without restriction or stipulation."

Erdogan was reelected May 28 in a second round of voting that resulted from no candidate winning an outright majority in the first round on May 14. The final results were 52.18% for Erdogan and 47.82% for his main opponent Kemel Kilicdaroglu.

After taking his oath, Erdogan sang the Turkish national anthem with the gathered parliamentarians and later visited the mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder of modern-day, post-Ottoman Turkey.

"For the next five years, we will continue to work heartily to realize our vision of the Century of Turkey," Erdogan wrote in the mausoleum's memorial book.

The newly reelected president was scheduled to host international heads of state for an inauguration ceremony later Saturday followed by a dinner at Cankaya Palace. He was also expected to announce his cabinet during the first day of his new term.

The Turkish leader has been in power for two decades, first as prime minister, then as president.

Erdogan's human rights record has been savaged by watchdogs, with the Committee to Protect Journalists noting that Turkey has one of the highest numbers of imprisoned journalists in the world.