An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such oaths are often required by the laws of the state, religious body, or other organization before the person may actually exercise the powers of the office or organization. It may be administered at an inauguration, coronation, enthronement, or other ceremony connected with the taking up of office itself, or it may be administered privately. In some cases it may be administered privately and then repeated during a public ceremony.
Some oaths of office are statements of allegiance and loyalty to a constitution or other legal text or to a person or office-holder (e.g., an oath to support the constitution of the state, or of loyalty to the king or queen) (see Oath of allegiance). Under the laws of a state, it may be considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office. In many cases, the oath is performed using an oath book, typically religious scripture such as the Bible.
The word "oath" and the phrase "I swear" refer to a solemn vow. For those who choose not to, the alternative terms "solemn promise" or "solemnly affirm" and "I promise" or "I affirm" are sometimes used.
Antigua and Barbuda The Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, before entering into his duties, must make an oath of allegiance and oath of office in the form specified in the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda; the same is required of the Prime Minister, other Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, but they also take the oath of secrecy.
Members of the Public Service Commission for Antigua and Barbuda take the oath of allegiance and oath of office, while members of both Houses of Parliament are only required to make the oath of allegiance prior to participating in their respective House (save for the oath-taking itself). Any of these oaths may be taken as an affirmation; when doing so "So help me God" is omitted.
The oath of allegiance is set forth as follows:
I, ___________, do swear (or solemnly affirm) that I will faithfully bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, His Heirs and Successors, according to law.
So help me God.
The oath of office is set forth as follows:
I, ___________, do swear (or solemnly affirm) that I will honour, uphold and preserve the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda and the law, that I will conscientiously, impartially and to the best of my ability discharge my duties as and do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.
So help me God.
The oath of secrecy is set forth as follows:
I, ___________, do swear (or solemnly affirm) that I will not on any account, at any time whatsoever, disclose any counsel, advice, opinion or vote given by any Minister as a member of the Cabinet and that I will not, except with the authority of the Cabinet and to such extent as may be required for the proper conduct of the government of Antigua and Barbuda, directly or indirectly reveal the business or proceedings of the Cabinet or any matter coming to my knowledge as a member of (or Secretary to) the Cabinet.
So help me God.
Australia
All members of the Australian Parliament are required to take before taking their seat in Parliament an Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance before the Governor-General of Australia or someone authorised by them. The requirement to take the oath is set out in section 42 of the Australian Constitution and the wording of the oath and affirmation are set out in a schedule to the Constitution. The oath is:
The affirmation is:
Upon taking office, the Governor-General of Australia is required to take the above Oath of Allegiance as well as a second Oath of Office:
In case of affirmation, the phrase "So Help me God" is hereby omitted.
In addition to swearing, the Oath of Allegiance upon becoming a Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries also recite an Oath of Office upon entering office. The wording of this oath is not prescribed within the Constitution and is ultimately determined by the Prime Minister of the day. Traditionally the oath has repeated the swearing of allegiance to the Sovereign, although this is not required. The current Oath of Office is:
The Prime Minister and Ministers shall required take the affirmation of office before the Governor General if in case of affirmation:
The Federal Executive Council members shall also required to take their oath:
Bangladesh The President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Ministers take their oath of office. The oath is taken in the Bengali language.
President The oath (or affirmation) of the President is administered by the Speaker:
Prime Ministers and other Ministers The oath of office for the Prime Minister and other members of the cabinet is administered by the President:
The oath of secrecy is as follows:
Speaker The Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, takes the oath of his or her office as well as the presidential oath, since the acts of president is practiced by the Speaker, whenever necessary:
Chief Justice The oath of office for the Chief Justice is administered by the President whereas the oath of office for other Judges is administered by the Chief Justice:
Others The Election Commissioners, members of the Public Service Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General takes a likely oath of office from the Chief Justice.
The representatives of the people in the local government takes oath from the Prime Minister or the minister in charge of the Local Government Division.
Belarus The Constitution of Belarus requires the president-elect to recite the following oath before taking office:
Belgium
King In Belgium, the King is not crowned but swears the constitutional oath in front of both Chambers of the federal parliament in the Palace of the Nation in Brussels in the three official languages:
In English: I swear that I will observe the constitution and laws of the Belgian people, preserve the country's independence and protect its territorial integrity. (Article 91 of the Belgian Constitution)
Prime minister, ministers and state secretaries The prime minister, the ministers and state secretaries of the Belgian federal government swear an oath in front of the Belgian King.
Also the minister-presidents of the Flemish government, of the Walloon government, of the government of the French community, of the government of the German-speaking community and of the Brussels-Capital region government swear the oath at the King. The other members of these governments do not take the oath at the King, but in front of their respective parliaments.
They may choose to take the oath in one or more of the country's languages.
In English: I swear fidelity to the King, obedience to the constitution and to the laws of the Belgian people.
Members of the Parliaments The members of the Chambers of Representatives, the Senate, the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon Parliament, the Parliament of the French Community, the Parliament of the German-speaking Community and the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region have to swear the following oath:
In English: I swear obedience to the constitution.
Public servants All public servants in judiciary and administration, officers of the civil guards and the army and servants in general of any public office have to swear the same oath as ministers, but in front of their respective hierarchical authority rather than of the King.For instance, teachers of schools organized by a Community or a municipality take this oath of office in front of the school's headmaster.
Mayors and members of municipal executive and city council Flemish mayors and the members of municipal executive and the city council in Flanders have following oath: "Ik zweer de verplichtingen van mijn mandaat trouw na te komen" (I swear to fulfill the duties of my office faithfully).
In Walloon the following version is used: "Je jure fidélité au Roi, obéissance à la Constitution et aux lois du peuple belge."
Brazil
President and Vice President The affirmation required by the Constitution of Brazil to be taken by the president-elect and vice president-elect upon entering into office is as follows:
Chamber of Deputies The affirmation of office for the members of the Chamber is administered by the President, who reads:
The Chamber members, after being called, answer the affirmation with "So I promise" ("Assim o prometo").
Federal Senate The affirmation of office for Senators is administered by the President, who reads:
The Senate members, after being called, answer the affirmation with "So I promise" ("Assim o prometo").
Supreme Federal Court The internal rules of the Supreme Federal Court set out the affirmation that must be taken by justices upon their investiture. Other judges make different affirmations, as provided for by law or in the internal rules of each Court.
Others The Constitution and laws of the several states and the organic laws of the municipalities also specify affirmations that must be made by the key officers of those entities.
Minas Gerais
Governor and Vice Governor The affirmation required by the Constitution of Minas Gerais to be taken by the governor-elect and vice governor-elect upon entering into office is as follows:
Brunei
In Brunei, an oath must be taken by any person in the public services may require to take if the Sultan wishes.
Bulgaria
The members of the Bulgarian parliament, the prime minister, government ministers, the president and vice president have to swear the following oath before entering office:
In English, "I swear in the name of the Republic of Bulgaria to observe the Constitution and the laws of the country and in all my actions to be guided by the interests of the people. This I have sworn."
The oath is dictated by the chairman of the National Assembly and a ceremony is held in the National Assembly building. When the president or the prime minister and cabinet ministers take the oath, the Constitution is also on display near the main dais during the inauguration.
During the first inauguration of Rumen Radev, the oath was uttered in several phrases until it was completed, which follows the American example for the oath of office of the president of the United States.
Canada
No formal oath is required to be taken by the monarch.See United Kingdom
Governor general The Governor General of Canada is required to take the "Oath for the due execution of the Office of Our Governor General and Commander-in-Chief in and over Canada, and for the due impartial administration of justice", which includes swearing allegiance to the reigning Canadian monarch the viceroy is to represent. This oath must be administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada or a puisne justice and, though not demanded, this is usually done during a swearing-in ceremony in the Canadian Senate chamber.
The following was the oath taken by the Governor General:
Ministers All Ministers of the Crown, including the Prime Minister of Canada, must be sworn members of the King's Privy Council for Canada before taking office. The Clerk of the Privy Council administers the necessary oaths at Rideau Hall in the presence of the Governor General. The first oath taken is always the Oath of Allegiance:
The Oath of Allegiance is followed by the Privy Council Oath:
Privy Councillors who are Ministers-designate, including the Prime Minister-designate, become Ministers by taking the Oath of Office, which is administered by the Clerk of the Privy Council at Rideau Hall: