JAKARTA, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Irwandi Yusuf was inaugurated as the new governor of Aceh province of Indonesia for the period of 2007 to 2012 on Thursday, national television TVRI reported here.

    Present at the installment were former top leader of the Separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) Malik Mahmud and foreign ambassadors.

    "I am as the Home Affair Minister install Irwandi Yusuf as governor and Muhammad Nazar as vice of governor," said M. Ma'ruf Indonesian home affairs minister in the installment.

    The pair of Irwandi Yusuf and Muhammad Nazar gets victory on the landmark first-direct gubernatorial election in the province on Dec. 11 last year by obtaining 38.20 percent of total votes, the Aceh Independent Local Election Commission (KIP) has announced.

    Aceh gets 70 percent split of production sharing of its abundant natural resources of oil and gas, based on the peace deal between the rebel and Jakarta on Aug. 15 in 2005 in Helsinki, Finland in an effort to end three decade bloody conflict that had left over 15,000 of lives, most of them civilians.

    Veterinarian Irwandi Yusuf had been a special staff of expert of contra-intelligence of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) from 2003 to 2004. He was a GAM military wing from 2001 to 2003.

    He was then detained with the status of war prisoner in Banda Aceh, the capital of the province from 2003 to 2004.

    Irwandi had been also the GAM negotiator with Jakarta from 2001 to 2002.

    The GAM had struggled for an independent state since 1976, but then it ruled out its purpose of independence on the peace accord.

    The Indonesian parliament endorsed a landmark law for Aceh province in July last year.

    The electoral commission ruled that those who got more than 25 percent of total votes can be the winner of the election.

    Experts feared on the capability of the new governor in managing a huge resources and lack of support from opposition in bureaucracy.

    "I swear on God, I will meet my obligations as governor of Aceh well and fair," said Irwandi in his swear.

    Irwandi has said that he want to put a top priority on the economic development and acceleration of the ongoing reconstruction and rehabilitation in the northern tip of the Sumatra's island.

    The provincial parliament expressed its support to the new governor, said M. Hassan Basri Thayeeb, the head of the parliament.

    "The parliament will cooperate and give its support to governorin an effort to create prosperity of Acehneses under the framework of the unitary state of Indonesia," said Thayeeb.