Social media posts claiming former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been invited as the chief guest for the inauguration for President-elect Joe Biden, are false. An aide from Manmohan Singh's office told BOOM that they had no information on this.
While Biden may have crossed the 270-delegate mark at the electoral college and secured a pathway to reach the presidency, he is yet to be formally elected president. Additionally, foreign heads of states or even individuals who formerly held such posts, are traditionally not invited as "chief guests" to the inaugurations of US presidents.
Moreover, the US electoral process is not over as media outlets are yet to call the results in the state of Georgia, Arizona and Alaska.
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The US Constitutions mandates that incoming presidents take charge of their offices on the January 20 after an election year at noon.
Singh worked with Biden in an official capacity as Prime Minister of India from 2009 to 2017, when Biden was Vice President of the United States.
A post of Facebook by a page Dr. Ram Puniyani shared this as a status. The page outlines that he is a former professor from IIT Bombay. It has almost 350 shares and 2,000 impressions.
It says, "Biden's oath taking ceremony. Manmohan Singh to be invited as Cheif (sic) guest." It is shared without a source. BOOM has reached out to this page to inquire about it.
This has also caught up on different parts of Facebook and Twitter.
Former Vice-President Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have reached 279 electoral college delegates to clinch the US presidency and vice-presidency respectively. This happened almost 4 days after election day on November 3, where he defeated incumbent US President Donald Trump.
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Using relevant keywords, BOOM found that there is no news of this development from any credible media or government source from either government.
Further, the US election is not over. Elections in four states are yet to be called. However, according to the traditional inaugural timelines, Biden and Harris are yet to be formally elected to their offices. This formal election will take place on or around December 14, when the electoral college meet in their respective states to vote for the incoming president. As incumbent president Trump has confirmed a series of lawsuits against counting processes in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan which proved to be pivotal in Biden's election, the counting process may further be delayed. President Trump is yet to concede the election to Biden.
The Biden campaign is also yet to announce its inauguration team, which is set up by incoming president's team. This team looks after all invitation and logistics from the campaign's perspective, while the Join Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies looks after the process from the government's side. In 2016, then President-elect Trump announced his team on November 15.
Heads of state or foreign heads of state are also traditionally not invited to presidential swearing ins in the United States, although a number foreign missions in the capital are invited. The incoming president is usually the main guest at his inauguration, and in the festivities that follow, including a ball, a luncheon hosted by the US Congress and a parade when the new president enters White House right after assuming office.
Also Read: US Elections: What Happens Till Inauguration Day?
