On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was inaugurated as Liberia's president and Joseph N. Boakai as Liberia's vice president on Capitol Hill in Monrovia, capital of Liberia. This is the first inauguration ceremony for democratically elected president after 14 years' civil war in Liberia, therefore attracting great attentions from around the world.

Present at the inauguration ceremony were 10 heads of state, including President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, President Obasanjo of Nigeria, President John Kufuor of Ghana, President of Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, President Touré of Mali, President Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone, President Mamadou Tandja of Niger, and President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo of Guinea, and the high-level delegations from over 20 countries, international and regional organizations such as China, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Spain, Cote Divoire, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

High-level delegations of the United States headed respectively by First lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also attended the ceremony. The United States dispatched two battleships of the 6th fleet to patrol the offing in the capital of Liberia to demonstrate the "special traditional relationship between the U.S and Liberia, and its "support to the new-born democracy".

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, as a special envoy of President Hu Jintao, attended the ceremony. He was warmly received and welcomed by the Liberian side. The guests welcomed the Chinese delegation with warm applause when they stepped on the red carpet and walked toward the VIP seats,

International medias like CNN and BBC and over 100 local medias covered this grand event. Some of them even broadcast it live.

President Sirleaf said in her inauguration ceremony that she will advocate comprehensive reform, stick to the principle of democracy, good governance, transparency and responsibility, and establish a streamlined, efficient, pragmatic, honest, and tolerant government. She will strive to promote national reconciliation, maintain solidarity and cooperation with all political parties, enable all of them to play important roles in national reconstruction, and build Liberia into a peaceful, secure, prosperous, democratic, just, equal and happy nation. She stressed that corruption is the public enemy of a nation and its people and she will fight against it without mercy. She is devoted to developing education and economy, strengthening infrastructure development, improving investment environment to attract foreign investment, developing private economy and welcoming overseas Liberians to render a service to their motherland. She is also committed to effectively managing the utilization and development of resources, advancing national reconstruction efforts, achieving sustainable development, resolving the unemployment issue and the placement of over 100,000 refugees and displaced persons, and improving the living quality of the people. She also promised to resolve the shortage of electricity supply in the capital within 150 days since she took office.

With regard to external relations, she promised to abide by Liberia's consistent policy and core principle of neighborly friendship, non-interference into internal affairs of other countries and peaceful co-existence to promote regional cooperation and integration and establish bilateral and multi-lateral partnership. Liberia will sincerely fulfill its due international obligations and become a responsible member in sub-regional, regional and international organizations.

On the same day, the whole country turned out to celebrate the event. The people expressed their best wishes for the inauguration of President Sirleaf and their expectations that the new government is committed to developing economy, rebuilding the nation, and achieving lasting peace, national reconciliation and social stability so that the people could live and work in peace and contentment.