She was sworn in on Saturday following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Prominent women's rights advocate and Vice President, Joyce Banda was sworn in on Saturday April 7, 2012 as Malawi's new leader, following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika from heart attack on Thursday April 5, 2012, Reuters news agency reported.

Mrs. Banda took the oath of office in Parliament in the capital Lilongwe at a ceremony officiated by the Chief Justice, Lovemore Munlo. Speaking at the inauguration, President Joyce Banda said she wanted every Malawian to move into the future with hope and a spirit of unity, amid loud applause and singing. According to the BBC, President Joyce, who had been Vice President since 2009, was cheered and applauded throughout the ceremony.

Meanwhile, ten days of national mourning will be observed as preparations are being made to bring Prof. Mutharika's body back from South Africa where he was taken after his cardiac arrest. Prof. Mutharika, 78, went into cardiac arrest on Thursday, although his death was not confirmed until Saturday. The two-day delay in the official announcement of his death had raised worries that there could be a power struggle.

Mrs Banda fell out with Prof. Mutharika in 2010 and became one of his fiercest critics. The former World Bank economist later engineered her expulsion from the ruling Democratic People's Party (DPP). She then went on to form the People's Party. At present, there are just a handful of MPs in her party but many more are likely to join now that she is president.

According to Al-Jazeera Television, Joyce Banda rose to prominence as a relentless women's rights advocate. She was born on April 12, 1950 in Malawi's colonial capital of Zomba. The daughter of a policeman began her career as a secretary and soon became a well-known public figure. Banda started a women's empowerment programme, travelling throughout the country to promote the National Business Women Association.

She later established the Joyce Banda Foundation to advance education for girls. Banda remains a role model to many women in Malawi. She is married to retired Chief Justice Richard Banda. Her family is among the most influential in Malawi. She is the first ever female leader in southern Africa, and the continent's second female leader of modern times, after Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.