MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in Thursday as president of the Philippines, with many hoping his maverick style will energize the country but others fearing he could undercut one of Asia’s liveliest democracies amid his threats to kill criminals en masse.

The 71-year-old former prosecutor and longtime mayor of southern Davao city won a resounding victory in May’s elections in his first foray into national politics. He has described himself as the country’s first leftist president, and said his foreign policy will not be dependent on the United States, a longtime ally.

The frugal noontime ceremony at Malacanan, the Spanish colonial-era presidential palace by Manila’s murky Pasig River, was a break from tradition sought by Duterte to press the need for austerity amid the country’s grinding poverty. In the past, the oath-taking has mostly been held at a grandstand in a historic park by Manila Bay, followed by a grand reception.

Vice President Leni Robredo, a human rights lawyer who comes from a rival political party, was sworn in earlier in a separate ceremony in her office compound.