Joao Lourenco was sworn in as Angola's new president on Tuesday, taking over from the longtime leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

The inauguration ceremony was held at Luanda’s Republic Square, and attended by 1,000 national and foreign guests, including 30 heads of state and government.

Lourenco, 63, and the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola won the August 23 general elections, with 61 per cent of the votes.

Among the dignitaries were the heads of state of South Africa, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Portugal, Zambia, Republic of Congo, Guinea, Gabon and DR Congo.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Chen Yuan also attended the ceremony.

While attending the ceremony, Speaker of the National Assembly, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, praised the legacy of the former president Dos Santos, who ruled the country for 38 years before deciding to step down and not run for this year's election.

The speaker said September 26 was a historic day marking a peaceful transition and that the new president will receive the full support of the Angolans.

Lourenco is the third president of Angola, which achieved independence in 1975 from Portugal. He succeeded Dos Santos, who took the lead in 1979 after the death of President Antonio Agostinho Neto.

Xinhua