Biden arrives at US Capitol for inauguration as 46th president

(L-R) Doug Emhoff, U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Jill Biden and President-elect Joe Biden wave as they arrive on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today’s inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived at the US Capitol on Wednesday for their official inauguration ceremony.

Biden, 78, is to be sworn in at noon (1700 GMT) by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the 46th president of the United States.

Harris, 56, will be the first woman to become vice president.

Donald Trump left Washington three hours before Biden’s swearing-in, the first American president to skip the inauguration of his successor in more than 150 years.

The inauguration comes exactly two weeks after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to disrupt the certification by Congress of Biden’s November election victory.

Among those attending the ceremony are former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Vice President Mike Pence will also be present after skipping a departure ceremony for Trump at nearby Joint Base Andrews earlier in the day.

© Agence France-Presse