Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been sworn in for a second five-year term during a ceremony in the Afghan capital of Kabul, AP reported.

Karzai was sworn in Thursday by the head of the Supreme Court, Abdul Salam Azimi, before hundreds of guests and foreign dignitaries from more than 40 countries.

Karzai began Thursday's inauguration ceremony outside on a red carpet, reviewing members of the presidential palace's security force as a band played the Afghan national anthem.

Karzai is under intense pressure to fix his corrupt government. He is expected to strike a balance in his second inaugural speech Thursday: answer international demands for reform while appeasing political allies who returned him to power.