Sergei Sobyanin took office on October 21 as Moscow mayor. His inauguration ceremony is held in the White Hall of the City Hall on Moscow's downtown Tverskaya Street.
Sergei Sobyanin took office on October 21 as Moscow mayor.
The inauguration ceremony is held in the White Hall of the City Hall on Moscow's downtown Tverskaya Street.
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© RIA Novosti . Sergey Guneev
"I swear to adhere to the Constitution of Russian Federation, federal and Moscow laws while performing the mayoral duties. I swear to faithfully and devotedly perform the duties, to serve the city's prosperity and the citizen's well-being," Sobyanin said.
President Dmitry Medvedev attended the inauguration ceremony.
"This is a very important task, and unfortunately there are factors that have hampered business activities [in Moscow]," the president said. "Moscow is not only the political capital of our country, but the centre of its business life. It is no coincidence that we have decided that Moscow will be the financial center of our country."
The Moscow City Duma voted earlier on Thursday to appoint Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's nominee Sergei Sobyanin as the new Moscow mayor.
Thirty-two lawmakers, who are members of the the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, voted for Sobyanin. Two deputies voted against Sobyanin's candidacy, and one was absent from the session.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said before the inauguration he was sure that his former chief of staff Sobyanin would be effective in his new position and "Muscovites will not regret their choice."
Sobyanin, 52, was head of the presidential administration under first Putin and then Medvedev from 2005-2008.
