What to watch for ahead of US presidential inauguration

By Costas Pitas

President-elect Donald Trump will take office on Jan. 20 after defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.

Here is a timeline of events between now and inauguration day:

- Dec. 11: States must submit certified slates of presidential electors by this date to the archivist of the United States as part of a 2022 federal law intended to avoid a repeat of the chaos after Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 defeat.

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- Dec. 17: Electors, who together form the Electoral College, meet in their respective states and the District of Columbia to select the president and vice president.

- Dec. 25: The electoral votes must be received by this date by the president of the Senate - a role held by the vice president, currently Harris - and the archivist.

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- Jan. 6: Harris presides over the Electoral College vote count at a joint session of Congress, announces the results and declares who has been elected.

Ahead of the count on Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Trump lambasted his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory.

On that day, Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop the count. Biden's win was certified early the next day.

Congress has since passed reforms that require approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state's results – a much higher bar than existed before, when at least one member each in the Senate and the House of Representatives could together trigger a challenge.

- Jan. 20: Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will take their respective oaths of office during a swearing-in ceremony that is due to begin at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT).

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