Oath of office
A solemn vow required before assuming official duties.
An oath of office is a solemn vow or affirmation taken before assuming the duties of a position, typically in government or a religious body, and is often required by law before the person may exercise the powers of the office. It may be administered at a public ceremony such as an inauguration or coronation, or privately, and sometimes repeated publicly. The oath may be a statement of allegiance to a constitution, legal text, or a monarch, and betraying it can be considered treason or a high crime. For those who choose not to swear, alternative terms such as 'solemn promise' or 'solemnly affirm' are used.
- field
- Government and legal procedure
- known_for
- Formal vow taken before assuming office, often involving allegiance to a sovereign or constitution
Lore & Background
The article details specific oaths for Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, and Bangladesh. In Antigua and Barbuda, the Governor-General, Prime Minister, Ministers, and Parliamentary Secretaries must take an oath of allegiance and oath of office, with the latter also including an oath of secrecy. Members of the Public Service Commission take both oaths, while Parliament members only take the oath of allegiance. The oaths may be taken as an affirmation, omitting 'So help me God.' The oath of allegiance is to 'His Majesty King Charles the Third, His Heirs and Successors, according law.'
Reader's Guide
In Australia, all Parliament members must take an Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance before the Governor-General, as set out in section 42 of the Australian Constitution. The Governor-General takes an additional Oath of Office. The Prime Minister, Ministers, and Parliamentary Secretaries also recite an Oath of Office, the wording of which is not prescribed in the Constitution and is determined by the Prime Minister; traditionally it repeats allegiance to the Sovereign. Federal Executive Council members take their own oath. In Bangladesh, the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, and Ministers take their oaths in Bengali, with the President's oath administered by the Speaker and the Prime Minister's oath by the President. Each includes a pledge to bear true faith and allegiance to Bangladesh and to preserve the Constitution.
Did You Know?
- In Antigua and Barbuda, 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.
- In Australia, the wording of the Oath of Office for the Prime Minister and Ministers is not prescribed within the Constitution and is ultimately determined by the Prime Minister of the day.
- In Bangladesh, the oath of office for the President is administered by the Speaker, while the oath for the Prime Minister and other ministers is administered by the President.
- The article notes that some oaths of office are statements of allegiance and loyalty to a constitution or other legal text or to a person or office-holder, such as an oath to support the constitution or of loyalty to the
More in Constitutional And Rights Law 1-19
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record