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Biden declared president-elect as challenges loom
2020-11-08 
US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks about election results in Wilmington, Delaware, US, Nov 6, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

After four days of nail-biting suspense following Election Day on Nov 3, former US vice-president Joe Biden was declared president-elect Saturday morning, whose immediate challenges would be to lead and rid the country of a sweeping COVID-19 pandemic and the grip of a confluence of economic and social turbulence.

Biden's triumph made Republican President Donald Trump the first US president since 1992 to fail to win a second term, and his running mate Kamala Harris will become the first American woman to serve as vice-president, as well as its first Black and South Asian-American to shatter a significant glass ceiling.

Biden was declared to have defeated Trump Saturday morning, when major US media outlets, including The Associated Press, CNN, CBS and FOX News, called the key battleground state of Pennsylvania for the 77-year-old.

By Saturday evening, Biden had taken at least 273 electoral votes against Trump, according to some media projections. Other forecasts have a higher number of electoral votes for Biden, far above the 270 that is needed to win the White House.

"With the campaign over, it's time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation," Biden said in a statement. "It's time for America to unite. And to heal."

Photo taken on Nov 7, 2020 shows the US Capitol building in Washington DC, the United States. US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was projected Saturday by multiple US media outlets to be the winner of the 2020 election. Sitting President Donald Trump said the election is "far from over," vowing to take legal actions. [Photo/Xinhua]

The incoming president, however, is likely to experience a potentially turbulent transfer of power, as Trump's campaign has indicated that it will challenge election outcome in a handful of states with lawsuits.

Trump immediately accused Biden of "rushing to falsely pose as the winner" as the media outlets made their calls for his rival.

"This election is far from over," he said in a statement.

"Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor," Trump said in the statement.

William C. Banks, distinguished professor emeritus at Syracuse University College of Law in New York, said it is highly unlikely that Trump can do anything to change the race outcome.

People gather in Times Square in New York, the United States, on Nov 7, 2020. US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was projected Saturday by multiple US media outlets to be the winner of the 2020 election. Sitting President Donald Trump said the election is "far from over," vowing to take legal actions. [Photo/Xinhua]

Across the country, there were celebrations and prayer as the news broke that the presidential race had been called for Biden.

In cities from New York, Washington to Atlanta, residents took to streets with spontaneous block parties. People also gathered at the Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, waving signs and taking cellphone pictures.

Chanting "This isn't over!" and "Stop the steal", Trump supporters protested at state capitals across the country Saturday, refusing to accept defeat and echoing Trump's unsubstantiated allegations that the Democrats won the election by fraud, The AP reported.

"It remains to be seen how his supporters react," Banks said. "It is too soon to tell."

People gather near the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Nov 7, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

Cal Jillson, a political scientist and historian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said there was "tremendous energy" in this election on both sides, as it appears that Biden may claim 80 million votes by the time that it is all over, possibly 10 million more than the previous record, and Trump may claim 75 million.

Trump's conduct out of office over the coming years may keep his supporters stirred up, but that is probably not as important as whether the Senate Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, chooses to look for common ground with Biden or resist his early initiatives, according to Jillson.

Races for the control of the US Senate have not yet come to a finish line. If the Republicans retain the majority, they would likely make it difficult for the new administration to carry through its legislative agenda, including expanding healthcare, fighting climate change and raising taxes on the wealthy, according to US media analysis.

"The new administration will have to reenergize the fight against the coronavirus, pass an infrastructure bill, which Biden and McConnell might well be able to do together, and reengage with the world by rejoining the WHO, the Paris Climate Accords, and smoothing relations with the UN and NATO," Jillson said.

People gather in Times Square in New York, the United States, on Nov 7, 2020. US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was projected Saturday by multiple US media outlets to be the winner of the 2020 election. Sitting President Donald Trump said the election is "far from over," vowing to take legal actions. [Photo/Xinhua]

Most world leaders swiftly expressed their hope and relief after Biden win.

"The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today's challenges. Let's work together!" French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a Trump ally, also congratulated Biden and the "historic achievement" of Kamala Harris' election as vice-president. Johnson tweeted that he looked forward to "working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security".

Other leaders who sent congratulatory messages included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Iraqi President Barham Salih.

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