I, Solih: Inauguration day in pictures

There was a sense of history in the air. A sense of hope to celebrate a new beginning.

The military brass band played national songs as the national stadium in Malé filled up for the swearing-in of the seventh president of the Maldives.

Many people queued up hours before the ceremony began at 5pm. State officials, coalition figures, and councillors clad in the yellow of the Maldivian Democratic Party looked for their designated chairs across the football field. Many more were seated on the northern and eastern stands.