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.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: Egypt's Islamist President-elect Mohamed Mursi (Arabic)<br/> <br />"I swear by God that I will sincerely protect the republican system and that I respect the constitution and the rule of law."<br/> <br />Mursi will be sworn in officially on Saturday - by the constitutional court - rather than by parliament as usual.<br/> <br />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.<br/> <br />Mursi's speech was a challenge to the army - that also said it represents the will of the people.<br/> <br />The 60-year-old, U.S.-trained engineer was declared president last Sunday - after he narrowly beat Mubarak's last prime minister.<br/> <br />Sarah Irwin, Reuters.
