Verdict USA 2020
By Venkatesh Raghavan
Electoral Colleges across the 50 states, besides the District of Columbia in the United States of America cast their ballots again and it got re-confirmed that Joe Biden was the winner of the Presidential election.
This procedure is usually regarded as a formality having a somewhat ritualistic tinge. However, in wake of President Donald Trump seeking judicial intervention in an attempt to thwart Biden emerging victorious, the formality has assumed significance post the current election. Biden’s victory signalled the final nail in President Trump’s all out attempts to sabotage a popular mandate. Biden said after the verdict that while the US democracy had been “pushed, tested and threatened”, it “proved to be resilient, true and strong”.
What gives the verdict an interesting tinge is that Russian President Vladimir Putin finally congratulated Biden on his victory, six weeks after the vote, today. “Vladimir Putin wished the President-elect every success and expressed confidence that Russia and the United States, which bear special responsibility for global security and stability, despite their differences can truly contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing,” a Kremlin readout said on Tuesday.
“For my part, I am ready for cooperation and contacts with you,” the Russian President said. Unlike other world leaders who had congratulated Biden within days of his victory, the Kremlin had decided to wait till the official results were declared.
Many Republicans who had insofar been unwilling to concede to Biden in the electoral race were forced to change their stand in public. Trump’s attempts to overturn the popular results emanating from Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin in the November polls drew a naught as the electoral votes in these states went in favour of Biden.
Republicans in the House may try and raise an objection to the reaffirmation of Biden’s win in these key states. However, it is not expected to make any difference other than delaying the final verdict. It implies that on January 6, 2021, the day scheduled for the debate on the occasion of the joint session of Congress, the climax will come to an end in favour of Biden.
Meanwhile, President Trump has continued unabated in making allegations against Biden that there were widespread frauds in the counting mechanism and persisted on challenging the verdict. As an emphatic final message of triumph for Biden, the Supreme Court on Friday evening dismissed a case brought up by the Texas Attorney general seeking redressal of Trump’s grievance that warranted the disenfranchisement of millions of voters across four states.
President Elect, Biden heaped praise on the state and local administrations for discrediting the “untrue” claims of President Trump. He dubbed Trump’s attempt to sabotage the popular mandate as an unprecedented assault on American democracy. In his parting observation, Biden said, President Trump has exhausted all possible avenues to contest the verdict of the Presidential polls and the matter should be laid to rest.
