Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has taken the oath for his second five-year term in office, after an overwhelming victory in August.
Mr. Ilves was sworn in Monday before the 101-seat parliament, where 73 of the lawmakers voted for his re-election. His rival, European Party Deputy Indrek Tarand, received 25 votes, while three votes were discarded.
The 57-year-old Ilves was educated in the United States. He is Estonia's third president since the country reclaimed its independence from Russia in 1991.
Initially elected in 2006, Mr. Ilves became the first presidential candidate to claim the required two-thirds majority in parliament in the August election. In the past, all presidential elections have been decided by the electoral college after lawmakers failed to give any candidate the necessary majority.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
Estonian President Sworn in for Second Term
