Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who defeated then Governor Gray Davis in a dramatic recall election last month, was sworn in Monday as the governor of California, the most populated state in the United States.  

"I am humbled, I am moved and I am honored beyond words to be your governor," Schwarzenegger told more than 7,000 invited guests and a national television audience in a 10-minute speech outside the state Capitol building in Sacramento.

Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, held the Bible while California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George administered the oath of office at the ceremony. Speaking with his Austrian accent and with his right hand up in the air, Schwarzenegger was inaugurated.

"Today is a new day in California," Schwarzenegger, an Austrian immigrant, said in his remarks, promising that he would restore confidence in the state's government. "I am an idealist."

The ceremony capped a swift rise that took Schwarzenegger, who came to the United States at the age 21 barely able to speak English, from Hollywood stardom to the pinnacles of political power.

Schwarzenegger thanked Democrat Gray Davis and his wife, Sharon, for what he called a "smooth transition," and said he was hopeful that differences could be put aside to work for the betterment of the state.

Focusing on his broader vision for the state, the Republican governor pledged to call the Legislature into a special session to deal with the state's battered economy and reform the costly workers compensation system. He also promised to repeal the recent huge hike in fees to register most vehicles.

Schwarzenegger will attend a lunch with legislators and some federal officials after the ceremony.

He was scheduled to return to the Capitol by mid-afternoon to start the business of running California's government.

California has the nation's lowest state credit rating after three years of being battered by job losses and a struggling economy. Its deficit is estimated to be US$25 billion.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2003)