A week after a derided and highly criticized election, a new president has been sworn in. However, stability in Egypt remains in the balance. Many view al-Sisi as another military strongman who will not honor the democracy so hardly fought for in 2011.

Three years ago, young Egyptians protested and fought police for democracy in their country. Having been ruled by dictator Hosni Mubarak for 30 years, Egyptians fought for democracy and finally achieved it. However, the subsequent election of Mohammed Morsi made many turn against the new government, which ultimately led to his overthrow by the military.

Almost a year after, the man in charge of the army that overthrew democracy in Egypt, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was sworn in as Egypt's new president, following an election that has been called by many as a fraud. According to the AP, the solemn ceremony took place in Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court with every member of the Cabinet present.

Among the guests were various heads of state from the Middle East, including the kings of Jordan and Bahrain, the emir of Kuwait and the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

Many of the countries represented like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE supported the overthrow of Morsi and have been giving aid to Egypt since Morsi was forced from office.

Al-Sisi won the presidency in a landslide, reports the AP, wining 97 percent of the vote with a 47.45 percent turnout. However, the election has been fraught with scandal due to some of the tactics used by the government to get out the vote, including threatening fines for those who do not vote and offering free rides on trains and buses to polling stations.

Regardless, in his speech following the inauguration, he called his election a "historic moment" in Egypt's history. According to BBC News, he also said there would be no reconciliation with those he thinks instigated violence.

"Defeating terrorism and achieving security is the top priority in our coming phase," he said. "There will be no acquiescence or laxity shown to those who resorted to violence."

Al-Sisi will take over as president for the next four years. Will Egypt return to the times of Mubarak or will it truly be a new democratic time? Nothing is certain, though al-Sisi was correct when he said:

"Throughout its extended history over thousands of years, our country has never witnessed a democratic peaceful handover of power."

It could be it still has not.