video transcript

In front of tens of thousands of cheering supporters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, Egypt's Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi takes a symbolic oath of office on Friday. SOUNDBITE: Egypt's Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi (Arabic) "I swear by God that I will sincerely protect the republican system and that I respect the constitution and the rule of law." Mursi will be sworn in officially on Saturday - by the constitutional court - rather than by parliament as usual. The court dissolved the Islamist-dominated lower house in a series of measures designed to ensure that the generals who took over from ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak will keep a grip on Egyptian affairs. Mursi's speech was a challenge to the army - that also said it represents the will of the people. The 60-year-old, U.S.-trained engineer was declared president last Sunday - after he narrowly beat Mubarak's last prime minister. Sarah Irwin, Reuters.