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Nigeria swore in its new president, a Christian, this week after months of leadership confusion while its elected president was receiving medical treatment.

Goodluck Jonathan, who has been Nigeria’s acting president since February, officially became president of Nigeria on Thursday. His Muslim predecessor, Umaru Yar’Adua, died on Wednesday despite extensive treatment, including a medical stay in Saudi Arabia.

The peaceful power shift provides stability to the oil-rich country, avoiding Nigeria’s history of military coups whenever there was a leadership vacuum.

It is unclear at the moment if Jonathan will run for the office of president during the next election.