Barack Obama and his wife during the oath of office.. Photo: Larry Downing / AFP

Barack Obama took the oath of office as US President for the second time, Reuters reports on January 20 .

A modest ceremony, attended only by members of the president's family, took place at the White House. The head of the country's Supreme Court, John Roberts, took the oath of office as president.

The main inauguration events will take place on January 21, when Obama will repeat the oath of office and give a speech to several tens of thousands of US citizens who will gather in front of the Capitol. As reported, the US anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” will be sung by singer Beyoncé at the ceremony.

Obama's first four-year term ended at 12:00 Washington time on January 20 (21:00 Moscow time), so the ceremony ended at that time. The inauguration festivities are being held a day later because courts in the United States are closed on Sunday.

The US Constitution requires that presidents and vice presidents take the oath of office on January 20, the agency recalls. Earlier on Sunday, Vice President Joseph Biden also took his oath.

Let us remind you that the next US presidential election took place on November 6, 2012. As a result, the representative of the Democratic Party, incumbent President Obama, received 332 electoral votes, and his Republican rival Mitt Romney received 206.

Barack Obama took the oath of office as President of the United States