Santo Domingo.- More than 200 international guests, including heads of state, presidents, vice presidents and delegations, will attend tomorrows swearing in ceremony of Danilo Medina and Margarita Cedeño as president and vice president of the Republic

Although the organizing committee said that 14 heads of state and vice presidents would be attending the event, so far only the president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, is confirmed.

Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff, who had said she would attend, will not be present. Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota will be representing her at the event, according to reports.

Costa Rica and Uruguay will be represented by deputy foreign ministers Carlos Roverssi and Roberto Conde, Guatemala by foreign minister Harold Caballeros, and Spain by the Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón, heir to the throne. There will also be special commissions representing 75 countries and 15 international agencies.

Event coordinator Rubén Bishara said that the day’s program would begin at 8 a.m.

Guests will start arriving at the National Assembly at the Congress headquarters half an hour later, and president Leonel Fernández is expected to arrive at 10 in the morning. The ceremony is scheduled to end at noon.

Afterwards, president Medina and vice president Cedeño de Fernández will travel to the National Palace where they will be greeted and congratulated by international and national guests.

At around 2 p.m. the new president will swear in his new cabinet members. He will then attend, together with his wife, First Lady Cándida Montilla and vice president Cedeño de Fernández, a Te Deum service at the Cathedral, led by Cardinal López Rodríguez.

At 3:30, the new leaders will leave a floral tribute at the Altar de la Patria and two hours later they will head the military parade marking the 149th anniversary of the Restoration of the Republic.

The handover ceremonies will conclude at 8 in the evening with a cocktail reception hosted by president Medina and the First Lady at the National Palace.

For the first time this inauguration will be attended representatives from Vietnam, North Korea, the Philippines, India, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Authority, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Namibia, Morocco, Malaysia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The International Press Center will be based at the Hotel Santo Domingo, said the organizers.