Carlos Alvarado took the oath of office on Tuesday as Costa Rica's president for the 2018-2022 term.

Alvarado was sworn in by the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Carolina Hidalgo, who, like the new president, belongs to the center-left Citizens' Action Party (PAC).

The 38-year-old journalist, writer, and musician thus succeeds historian Luis Guillermo Solis, who - likewise - is a member of the PAC.

First Vice President Epsy Campbell, as well as Second Vice President Marvin Rodriguez, were also sworn in by Hidalgo.

The inauguration ceremony for the former labor minister took place at Democracy Plaza in the center of San Jose and was attended by some 2,000 citizens, as well as 108 international delegations, seven of them led by heads of government.

Presidents Juan Carlos Varela of Panama, Jimmy Morales of Guatemala, Salvador Sanchez Ceren of El Salvador, Lenin Moreno of Ecuador, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic were also in attendance, along with Aruban Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes.