Ecuador's hugely popular leftist president, Rafael Correa, was today sworn in to a second term, with energy reform and expanded overseas trade topping his agenda.
Correa, 50, took the oath of office at a ceremony held before the federal legislature attended by various foreign leaders and dignitaries, including Haitian President Michel Martelly, Spain's Crown Prince Felipe and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
For the first time, a woman, the legislature's speaker Gabriela Rivadeneira, administered the oath of office, as she proclaimed that Correa "was legally in possession of the powers of the presidency of the Republic of Ecuador".
The US and Belgian-educated economist - an outspoken populist in the mold of his late mentor Hugo Chavez of Venezuela - has brought stability to a country that went through eight presidents, three of whom were ousted, in the decade before he was first elected in 2006.
Correa won a landslide victory in February's vote, and shortly thereafter won a rare majority in Congress, giving him a strong hand to implement reforms in sectors such as energy, agriculture, mining, justice and the media. He also plans heavy spending on infrastructure and socially-oriented investment.
His approval rating is as high as 86 per cent, according to a survey by pollsters Perfiles de Opinion. He has ruled out seeking a third term, however.
Ecuador, a country of some 16 million people that belongs to OPEC but is its smallest member, is heavily dependent on oil revenue, and Correa has said finding more crude is essential to its future.
Other heads of state who attended Correa's swearing-in included Chavez successor Nicolas Maduro and leaders from Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile.
