NEW DELHI: President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the USA on Wednesday. Alongside Biden will be Kamala Harris who will take oath as the first woman and person of colour to be elected as vice-president.
Preparations for the 59th presidential inauguration ceremony have been underway for which the theme will be "America United", an issue that was central to Biden-Harris campaign.
Though an event that draws worldwide attention, this year the inauguration ceremony is going to be different from the previous ceremonies in the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic and the recent mob violence at the Capitol Hill.
There will be no throngs of people as is the case every presidential inaugural. Only 1,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony who are mostly going to be members of Congress and their guests.
The outgoing President Donald Trump will not be attending the inaugural and is expected to leave the town early.
Inaugural ceremony schedule
Around 10 am EST (8:30 pm IST) the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) will start by host first-ever curated livestream for young Americans before and during the Inaugural Ceremonies.
The livestream, hosted by award-winning entertainer and advocate Keke Palmer, will feature a special message from incoming First Lady Jill Biden and a commentary from leading historians.
The inaugural ceremonies will begin with the national anthem and invocation around 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 pm IST).
Vice-president-elect Harris is expected to be sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
President-elect Biden will be sworn in by chief justice John Roberts on the Capitol's West Front, as is tradition.
After he takes oath as the US President, Biden will deliver his inaugural address.
The President will then move to the Capitol's East Front for what's known as 'Pass in Review', a longstanding tradition in which a new president assesses the military troops.
After that, Biden, Harris and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, along with their spouses, will travel to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Biden will then receive a military escort from 15th Street to the White House with every branch of the military represented before an evening of virtual activities.
There would also be a bonus celebration for 90 minutes called “Celebrating America” after the conclusion of the official ceremony and would be hosted by Tom Hanks. Apart from featuring performances of Ant Clemons, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, and Justin Timberlake, it would also include remarks from Biden and Harris.
Where to watch the inaugurationAll major American broadcasters will air the event live on their TV channels as well as on social media platforms. The event will also be live-streamed on bideninaugural.org/watch/ as well as on PIC social media handles.
(With inputs from agencies)