Alassane Ouattara was officially sworn in on Friday as the president of Ivory Coast, following months of conflict, DPA reported.
By taking the oath, he ended the presidency's state of legal limbo, which had been in effect since elections last November, and the office is now firmly in Ouattara's hands.
The swearing-in, attended by regional chiefs and political leaders, is to be followed by a ceremony with foreign heads of state planned for later this month in Yamoussoukro, the capital.
Also, in another return to normalcy, cocoa experts were expected to resume. Ivory Coast is the largest producer of the crop in the world. For three months, the political violence has halted shipments, a vital source of national income.
Constitutional Council President Paul Yao Ndre presided over the oath taking. It was a reversal for the judge, who late last year had rejected Ouattara's victory at the polls, setting off months of heavy fighting.
On Thursday Ndre changed his decision, conceding the defeat of his ally, former president Laurent Gbagbo.
Gbagbo is currently being held by Ouattara's forces in the north of the country. He surrendered last month as his forces were being defeated, setting in motion the end of the bloody feud, which killed thousands of people and displaced more than 1 million.
The United Nations announced it was looking into fresh reports of another mass grave in areas of Abidjan, the economic capital, which had been held by Gbagbo forces until earlier this week.
Researchers would also look into reports of an attack on a Baptist church that was housing refugees.
Investigators have "received allegations on the existence of a mass grave as well as the possible killing of civilians ... by both sides," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
An international commission of inquiry arrived in Ivory Coast earlier this week, tasked with looking into abuses committed during the months of fighting, including attacks on civilians and sexual violence.
Meanwhile, authorities in Switzerland froze assets worth 70 million Swiss francs (81 million dollars) linked to Gbagbo, who awaits trial for human rights abuses committed during his decade in power.
Prosecutors have started to interview Gbagbo, 65, about his alleged involvement in abuses, though his aides claim he is being denied fair legal representation, after a lawyer sent to assist him was reportedly ejected from the country.
There were still sporadic incidents of violence, as remnants of militias continued to fight.
European Union aid officials have warned the crisis is not yet over, with hundreds of thousands still in need of humanitarian assistance.
Both the EU and the United States have pledged new aid donations to the country.
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