US presidential election | January 7, 2021
After the US parliamentary seat was forcibly stormed, the incumbent US Vice President Mike Pence announced the official final result in a joint session of both chambers of congress.
The incumbent US Vice President confirms Joe Biden’s election as the next President of the USA.Photo: Keystone / EPA, Erin Schaff
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After the forcible storming of the US parliamentary seat, Congress finally confirmed the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election early on Thursday morning (local time). The incumbent US Vice President Mike Pence announced the official final result in a joint meeting of both chambers of congress. Previously, Congress had to suspend its deliberations for several hours because angry supporters of the elected US President Donald Trump had penetrated the Capitol.
Usually formality
The formal post-election procedure in the USA stipulates that the results from the individual states are certified in Congress. Only then is it official who has won the election. It is the end of a long formal act before a new president is sworn in. Usually this is a quick formal procedure. This year, however, it marks the dramatic end of an unprecedented campaign by incumbent Trump against the election result. The Republican had lost the election in early November by a clear margin to his Democratic challenger Biden.
Trump remains stubborn
The elected US President Donald Trump will no longer oppose the transfer of power to his successor Joe Biden. The official business would be transferred in an orderly manner on January 20, according to a message from Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino on Twitter on Thursday. The US Congress had previously officially confirmed Biden’s election victory. Trump also confirmed that he did not agree with the outcome of the election.
Split party
For weeks, Trump had presented this day of the congressional session, without any basis, as the last chance to overturn the election result. Driven by his allegations of fraud, Republicans appealed the election results from the states of Arizona and Pennsylvania, forcing the House of Representatives and the Senate to withdraw to separate sessions on both occasions to debate the objections. However, the action had no prospect of success from the start. The Congress Chambers rejected both appeals. Originally, Trump-loyal Republicans had also wanted to challenge the results from other states. In view of the severe riot at the Capitol, however, several senators withdrew their support for the party’s very controversial disruption action.
Riot in Congress
Thousands of Trump supporters poured into the US capital on Wednesday to protest against the certification of the election result. After a heated speech by the elected president, Trump supporters marched outside the Capitol to protest the certification of the presidential election results. Rioters stormed the congress building. The two chambers of congress had to abruptly interrupt their sessions, parliament halls were cleared, and MPs and senators were brought to safety. Only after several hours did the security forces bring the situation back under control, whereupon Congress demonstratively resumed its work. Biden is due to be sworn in on January 20th.
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