DAMASCUS, Syria—Syrian President Bashar Assad was sworn in Saturday for a fourth seven-year term in the war-torn country. The May elections were described by the West and Assad’s opposition as illegitimate and a sham. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the presidential palace and attended by clergymen, members of parliament, political figures, and army officers. In power since 2000, Assad’s re-election in a landslide was never in doubt. His new term starts with the country still devastated by 10 years of war and sliding deeper into a worsening economic crisis. The U.N. estimates that more than 80 percent of Syrians live under the poverty line. The Syrian currency is in a free fall and basic services and resources have become scarce or are offered at exorbitant parallel market prices. Fighting has largely subsided, but parts of Syria remain out of government control and foreign troops and militias are deployed in …