Washington - Under snow and tight security, the United States Congress today certified the election victory of Republican Donald Trump, who will become the 47th president on January 20.
The paradox is that Trump has been quietly certified by the same democracy he tried to subvert four years ago when a mob of his supporters stormed the legislature to prevent the confirmation of Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 elections on January 6, 2021.
At the meeting, the individual votes in the Electoral College were counted and confirmed, and the result was announced by Vice President Kamala Harris as President of the Senate.
During the ceremony, which did not run late, Harris ratified the Democratic candidate's own defeat (226 votes) in the 2024 election by ratifying Trump's victory (312 Electoral College votes).
The atmosphere has calmed down. Security measures have been stepped up in Washington in anticipation of events of major importance in the coming days, such as the confirmation of the vote results.
Request from the Mayor Muriel Bowserapproved in September, allowed the resources of the federal government and state and local partners to be leveraged as part of a comprehensive security plan with the Secret Service as the lead agency.
According to reports, the District of Columbia police have been fully active since Sunday morning, mobilizing nearly 4,000 additional officers from across the country to help oversee the planned events. In addition, drones will be in operation. The chief of the federal Capitol Police Tom Manger told reporters before the congressional session that they have "more personnel, better training and better equipment than ever before to protect our Capitol and protect our Congress."
"The legislative process will proceed without interruption and our government will have a peaceful transfer of power," stressed Manger, who was quoted by CNN.
The TV station said in its report that the Capitol Police had implemented more than 100 recommendations made by its inspector general after the 2021 attack, including increasing staffing, training and creating a new intelligence operation. Fences were installed around the perimeter to cover outside office buildings on both sides of the complex.
Newly elected US Vice President James David Vance attended
The joint session of both houses of Congress was chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris, who, according to the US Constitution, is the head of the Senate. She was Trump's rival for the nation's highest office.
During the meeting, the certified election results prepared by all 50 states and the District of Columbia were read. The meeting was attended by the newly elected Vice President of the United States, James David Vance. Trump himself did not attend the meeting.
The hearing was not hampered by the continuing snowfall, which was one of the heaviest to hit the District of Columbia in several years. The bad weather has made it very difficult for federal agencies to operate and has complicated vehicular traffic.
No disturbances or other incidents were reported during the certification of the election results. On 6 January 2021, supporters of then-President Trump invaded the Congressional Building in an attempt to prevent the certification of the election result, which was won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
January 6, 2021 will go down in the pages of American history as the day of the worst attack on the heart of democracy in this country. The violence left five police officers dead and more than 140 injured.
Prensa Latina/ gnews - RoZ