Congress certifies Trump victory amid heightened security
The American Congress has officially declared Donald Trump the winner of the 2024 presidential election, formally concluding the process of electing the President of the United States. Kamala Harris, who was a candidate in the election but did not succeed, led the procedure to certify the electoral votes.
During the procedure, which lasted less than half an hour, politicians from both houses of Congress and both parties read out certificates of electoral votes for president and vice president from each state and the District of Columbia, stored in mahogany boxes, and confirmed their authenticity. At the end, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the victory of her rival in the election, Donald Trump, and adjourned the session.
Throughout the ceremony, Harris adhered to the formal protocol, but just before the session, she commented on the situation in a recording published on social media.
- The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy and, like no other principle, distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny, - emphasised Harris, announcing the certification of the election results and assuring that she would fulfil her "sacred duty" guided by "love for the country, loyalty to our Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people."
- As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile, and it is up to each of us to stand in defence of our most cherished principles and ensure that in America our government will always be "of the people, by the people, for the people" - she added, quoting the words of Abraham Lincoln.
Donald Trump has not yet commented on the event, but he posted a picture on his social media platform of the crowd from the demonstration of his supporters on 6 January 2021.
The first ceremony under the new law
The ceremony proceeded smoothly, without disruptions, in contrast to the one four years ago (when Joe Biden became president), when it was interrupted for several hours by an attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol, causing the ceremony to end after 9 AM Greenwich Time.
Due to the chaos and attempts to overturn the previous results by Trump, Monday's session for the first time applied the new law enacted in 2022. The new law made it more difficult to file objections against the votes and confirmed that the role of the vice president at the session is purely ceremonial, which was a response to pressure from Donald Trump and his supporters on Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election result.
Although this year's session did not come with similar controversies and tensions as in 2021, the Capitol Police and city authorities applied reinforced security measures, setting up tall metal fences around Capitol Hill. The session took place despite a snowstorm that brought about 30 centimetres of snow, paralysing the capital. Before the storm's arrival, the decision was made to close all other federal offices in Washington.
The announcement of Donald Trump's victory by Congress is the final formal step before the inauguration of the new president. The inauguration of Trump’s second term will begin at noon on 20 January.
