Baghdad, Iraq ? Cementing Iraq’s first democratic government in 50 years, one of Saddam Hussein’s most implacable enemies took his oath as president Thursday and quickly named another longtime foe of the ousted dictator to the powerful post of prime minister.

The new government’s main task will be to draft a permanent constitution and lay the groundwork for elections in December, although some worry that the two months of political wrangling taken up in forming the leadership hasn’t left enough time.

The swearing-in ceremony came just two days short of the second anniversary of Baghdad’s fall to U.S.-led forces and underlined the growing cooperation of the Shiite Arab majority and Kurdish minority — groups that were long oppressed by Saddam’s regime.

There were stumbles, though.

After his inaugural speech, interim President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, walked off the stage, and members of the National Assembly and onlookers began to disperse and television feeds were cut.

Talabani came back about 10 minutes later and had to shout to a dwindling crowd that the President’s Council — Talabani and his two vice presidents — had, as expected, selected Shiite Arab leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari as interim prime minister.

Some Iraqis have expressed concern about al-Jaafari’s close ties to the Islamic government in Iran and his work for the conservative Islamic Dawa Party, which has called for the implementation of Islamic law. But lawmakers didn’t express any reservations Thursday.