Former Barack Obama Deputy, Joe Biden of the Democrats has won the race to become US’ 46th president, defeating Donald Trump following a cliff-hanger vote count after Tuesday’s election.
Joe Biden is now set to return to the White House, where he served for eight years as President Barack Obama’s deputy. At the age of 78, he will be the oldest president in American history, a record previously held by the man he has now defeated, Donald Trump, who is 74
The BBC projects that Mr Biden has won the key battleground of Pennsylvania, propelling him over the 270 Electoral College vote threshold required to clinch the White House
The Trump campaign has indicated their candidate does not plan to concede.
Mr Biden said he was “honoured and humbled” to be elected.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America,” he said.
It was now time to “put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation“, he said. “It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.”
The result makes Mr Trump the first one-term president since the 1990s.
The BBC’s projection of Mr Biden’s victory is based on the unofficial results from states that have already finished counting their votes, and the expected results from states like Wisconsin where the count is continuing.
His projected win in Pennsylvania takes him to 273 electoral college votes.
The election has seen the highest turnout since 1900. Mr Biden has won more than 74 million votes so far, the most ever for a US presidential candidate. Mr Trump has drawn more than 70 million, the second-highest tally in history.
The election was fought as coronavirus cases and deaths continued to rise across the United States, with President Trump arguing a Biden presidency would result in lockdowns and economic gloom. Joe Biden accused the president of failing to impose sufficient measures to control the spread of Covid-19.
Read original article on BBC
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tamblr @mygokwe