Obama wins historic US election |
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Barack Obama, President -elect USA
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Democratic Senator, Barack Obama has been elected the first black
president of the United States. "It's been a long time coming, but
tonight... change has come to America," the president-elect told a
jubilant crowd at a victory rally in Chicago.
His rival, John
McCain, accepted defeat, saying "I deeply admire and commend" Mr Obama.
He called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.
He says, the American people have made two fundamental statements about
themselves, that, they are profoundly unhappy with the status quo and
that, they are slamming the door on the country's racial past.
Mr
Obama appeared with his family, and the vice presidential candidate,
Joe Biden, before a crowd of tens of thousands in Grant Park, Chicago.
Many people in the vast crowd, which stretched back far into the
Chicago night, wept as Mr Obama spoke."If there is anyone out there who
still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who
still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who
still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he
said.
He said, he had received an "extraordinarily gracious"
call from Mr McCain. He praised the former Vietnam prisoner-of-war as a
"brave and selfless leader".
OBAMA GAINS
Ohio
New Mexico
Iowa
Virginia
Florida
Colorado
Nevada
Indiana
"He
has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to
imagine," the victor said. He had warm words for his family, announcing
to his daughters: "Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can
imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the
White House."But he added: "Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the
challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -
two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a
century."The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. But
America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will
get there."
Hours after Mr Obama's victory was announced, crowds were still celebrating in Chicago and in Washington DC.
From red to blue
Mr
Obama captured the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio,
before breaking through the winning threshold of 270 electoral college
votes at 0400 GMT, when projections showed he had also taken California
and a slew of other states.Then came the news that, he had also seized
Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which voted Republican in 2004
- turning swathes of the map from red to blue.
Projected results
have yet to be announced for the states of North Carolina and Missouri,
but at 0846 GMT, Mr Obama's share of the popular vote stood at 52%,
compared with Mr McCain's 46.7%.
The main developments include:
* Mr Obama is projected to have seized Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa,
Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Indiana and Nevada - all Republican wins
in 2004.
* He is also projected to have won: Vermont, New
Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, Massachusetts, District of
Columbia, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Michigan,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, California, Hawaii,
Washington, Oregon.
* Mr McCain is projected to have won:
Montana, Alaska, Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, Louisiana,
West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota.
* Turnout was reported to be extremely high - in some places "unprecedented".
* The Democrats made gains in the Senate race, seizing seats from the
Republicans in Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico and
Colorado. They also increased their majority of the House of
Representatives.
* Exit polls suggest the economy was the major deciding factor for six out of 10 voters.
* Nine out of 10 said the candidates' race was not important to their
vote, the Associated Press reported. Almost as many said age did not
matter.
Several states reported very high turnout.It was
predicted 130 million Americans, or more, would vote - more than for
any election since 1960.
Many people said they felt they had
voted in a historic election - and for many African-Americans, the
moment was especially poignant. John Lewis, an activist in the civil
rights era who was left beaten on an Alabama bridge 40 years ago, told
Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church: "This is a great night. It is an
unbelievable night. It is a night of thanksgiving."
Besides
winning the presidency, the Democrats tightened their grip on
Congress.The entire US House of Representatives and a third of US
Senate seats were up for grabs.
Democrats won several Senate
seats from the Republicans, but seemed unlikely to gain the nine extra
they wanted to reach the 60-seat "super-majority" that could prevent
Republicans blocking legislation.
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Posted on: Wednesday, 5, November, 2008 |
Source: BBC News |
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