Sri Lanka's Maithripala Sirisena has been sworn in as the country's new president, Press TV reported.
The swearing-in ceremony was held in the capital, Colombo, on Friday.
Sirisena, a former health minister, garnered a 51.28-percent share of the votes in the Thursday election.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka's new prime minister and the head of the opposition United National Party (UNP), said during the ceremony, "People want a new political culture. I don't want anyone taking the law into their own hands."
Sirisena thanked the former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had led the country since 2005, for a "fair election that allowed me to be the president."
"We will have a foreign policy that will mend our ties with the international community and all international organizations in order that we derive maximum benefit for our people," Sirisena stated.
Over 70 percent of the 15 million eligible voters turned out for the election, which was held in over 12,000 polling stations nationwide. Over 70,000 police officers were deployed across the country for tight security.
Rajapaksa declared the snap polls in November, two years ahead of schedule, attempting to secure an unprecedented third term in office.