Morsi promises a new Egypt Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first ever democratically elected president, took the oath of office on Saturday promising "a new Egypt and a second republic" in which the popular will was respected and government served the people. "Today, the Egyptian people laid the foundations for a dignified life, complete freedom and a real democracy," said Mr Morsi, a US trained engineer and a leader of the long-repressed Muslim Brotherhood group, now the rising force in Egyptian politics. But even as the new president was inaugurated in a televised ceremony before 18 black-robed judges at the Supreme Constitutional Court, the fragility of Egypt's nascent democracy and the challenges to its elected ruler were underscored. The oath of office is traditionally taken before parliament, but the Constitutional Court ordered the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated assembly just over two weeks ago. A council of senior generals who have steered the country since last year's popular uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarak as president chose the court as the venue of the swearing in ceremony, overruling the objections of Mr Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. The council was supposed to leave politics after the election of the president, but since parliament was disbanded, they will retain legislative power until a new assembly is in place. They have also divested the president of some powers and given the army immunity from civilian oversight, in what has been seen as a soft military coup. On Friday, in a gesture of defiance on the eve of his inauguration, Mr Morsi swore an oath of office in a symbolic ceremony before tens of thousands of supporters in Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the uprising against Mr Mubarak. Even so his decision to swear again at the court, giving in to the generals, highlights the continuing battle of wills between the military and the Islamists, the two biggest forces in the country. The power struggle may be set to continue, but on Saturday both sides seemed determined to maintain appearances and go through the moves of a power transfer. The army organised a military parade with a 21 gun salute for the new president, and he delivered a conciliatory speech praising the generals. Mr Morsi seemed to be reaching out to everyone in an address delivered after his inauguration at Cairo University where spoke to a large invited audience including politicians, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, and the members of the military council. He promised the Christian minority that all citizens would be equal and he sought to reassure those worried that an Islamist president would place restrictions on the arts or curb tourism, a mainstay of the economy. In a message to the outside world, he affirmed once more Egypt's commitment to all its international agreements, implying that the peace treaty of Israel will be respected. Mr Morsi also pointedly lauded the Egyptian people for "imposing their will and sovereignty" by electing the dissolved parliament in "free and honest elections." He vowed that elected institutions would return. Almost in the same breath, glossing over what has been seen as a power grab by the military just days before he was declared winner, the new president saluted the generals for their "efforts" during the transition and for "for fulfilling their promise not to replace the will of the people." "The elected institutions will return to perform their role and the great Egyptian army will go back to its task of protecting the nation and the country's borders," said Mr Morsi. He also had kind words for the "loyal members of the police who have dedicated themselves to protecting lives and public and private property." But, interrupted from the floor by families carrying pictures of "martyrs of the revolution" killed in confrontations with police, he also swore that the killers would be punished and justice done. More than 800 people were killed during the revolt against Mr Mubarak, and scores more died over the past 18 months in clashes with the security services. All the police officers who have appeared in court in connection with killings during the uprising have been acquitted, and the military council refused calls to reform the force long criticised for its human rights abuses.