8 NOVEMBER 2020
JOE BIDEN BEAT DONALD TRUMP TO BECOME 46th US PRESIDENT
Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden defeated incumbent Republican US President Donald Trump in the closely fought presidential election in the US. The 77 year old former US vice president will become the 46th president of the United States. Democratic Party candidate Kamala Devi Harris, a US Senator from California, will become the first woman and first Indian and African American Vice President of the USA.
“They’ve given us a mandate for action on COVID, the economy, climate change, systemic racism. They made it clear they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart”, Joe Biden said.
On 7 November, Joe Biden could win 253 electoral College votes and Donald Trump could win only 214 votes in the 538 seated Electoral College. Joe Biden secured more than the 270 votes needed to win by making a stamping lead in the state of Pennsylvania, the state where he was born. Counting of votes is still continuing in Arizona, Nevada and Georgia and Joe Biden expected a clear lead in all these states.
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Ronald Trump has challenged the election process raising serious allegations and filed legal suits.
The Electoral College will cast their votes to officially elect the new president on 14th of December and the new president will assume office on the 20th January 2021 after the inauguration ceremony.
The Electoral College of the United States is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the purpose of electing president and vice president.
Many world leaders including former US President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton congratulated President-elect Joe Biden.