Erdogan sworn in as Turkey president as opposition walks out

ANKARA: Turkey´s outgoing premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan was Thursday sworn in as president as opponents who accuse him of authoritarianism after more than a decade in power walked out of the ceremony.

Erdogan, 60, took the oath in Ankara to begin a five-year mandate in which he has vowed to build a "new Turkey" by pushing through a new constitution and driving on with an ambitious development programme.

Deputies of the opposition Republican People´s Party (CHP), who accuse Erdogan of violating the constitution, noisily walked out of parliament just before he was sworn in.

Erdogan has made clear he wants to wield genuine executive power as president after becoming the first directly elected head of state, taking 52 percent of the vote in the August 10 poll.

His recent predecessors in the Cankaya presidential palace performed a largely ceremonial role.

The election was a triumph for Erdogan -- who first become premier in 2003 -- after surviving a tumultuous 2013 that saw mass anti-government protests and corruption allegations against his inner circle.

He will take over as president from Abdullah Gul, a former close comrade and co-founder of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), who appears now to have fallen out with the feisty Erdogan and is expected to play no role in the next government. (AFP)