US President to be sworn in on January 21

Washington: The next US President to be elected through November 6 polls will be sworn in on January 21 and not on the constitutionally mandated date of January 20, as it falls on a Sunday. This will be only the seventh time in American history that the constitutionally mandated Inauguration date has fallen on a Sunday. The last time it was during Ronald Reagan's second Inauguration in 1985.

January 21 will also be Martin Luther King (Junior) Day, and it will be the second time that the federal holiday will coincide with a Presidential Inauguration. The first was during President Bill Clinton's second Inauguration in 1997. A Congressional committee has announced to launch its preparation for the January 21 inauguration, even as incumbent Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney continue to battle it out ahead of the November 6 polls.

Chairman Charles Schumer and members of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) on Friday announced the launch of a new website for the 2013 Presidential Inauguration and the Facebook page for the event. "This new website will provide an encyclopedic resource to Inauguration watchers across the nation and the world," Schumer said in a statement.

"Our first-ever Facebook page will expand the reach of this historic event, and be an important source of practical information for Inauguration attendees," he added. This is first time the Joint Inaugural Committee is turning to the social networking website. The new Facebook page will expand sources of Inauguration material for those keen on remaining updated about upcoming ceremonies and the history of prior Inaugurations.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies is responsible for the oversight and planning of the Presidential Inauguration and related ceremonies on the US Capitol grounds. Members of JCCIC are appointed by the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. In accordance with tradition, the Senate representatives on JCCIC are Majority Leader Harry Reid, Rules Committee Chairman Charles E Schumer, and Rules Committee Ranking Member Lamar Alexander. The House members of JCCIC are Speaker John A Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.