In a very closely fought presidential election which witnessed many cliffhanger episodes, Joe Biden clinched the race from the Republican candidate Donald Trump by securing 273 electoral votes. The winning moment was decided when the Democrats made a stamping lead in the state of Pennsylvania sealing their victory in one of the most crucial swing states.
In the 538-member electoral college in the US, the candidate needs to secure at least 270 electoral votes to be declared as the Presidential-Elect.
Joe Biden, who will be the oldest American President to assume office at the age of 78, received nearly 70.45 million popular votes which is also the highest number of votes received by any US presidential candidate so far in the history of American elections. The Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump has secured 213 electoral votes so far with nearly 70.03 million popular votes. The counting is still underway in a few states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. The Democrats have so far been able to flip Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania compared to 2016 elections. They have also maintained their lead in the States of Arizona, Nevada and Georgia.
With the declaration of Joe Biden as the President-Elect based on the projections of the electoral votes, Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris has also secured her position as the first woman to be the Vice President of the USA. Kamala Harris, is also credited to be the first woman of Indian-American and African-American origin to be a member of the United States Senate.
In his message just after being declared as the President-Elect, Joe Biden said that he is honoured with the support which the people of America have posed to him to lead the country. He assured citizens that he will keep the faith that has been entrusted in him and said that he will be the President for all Americans, irrespective of whom they have voted for.
Earlier, in his address to the nation, Joe Biden said that people have given the mandate to the Democratic Party to take action on COVID, Economy, Climate change and systemic racism.
The electoral college representatives elected by the popular votes will cast their votes to officially elect the new president on the 14th of next month. The new president will thereafter assume office on the 20th of January next year after the inauguration ceremony.
Amidst the ongoing electoral process, Republican Candidate Donald Trump has challenged the lengthy process of counting mail ballots across many key states. Raising serious allegations, the Trump campaign team has also filed legal suits against the process in the States of Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona among others.