The US Embassy in Banjul Tuesday hosted an election night reception to monitor and observe the elections in the United States of America live on CNN. The election observation and monitoring, held at the Fajara residence of US Ambassador Edward M Alford, was occasionally interrupted by short speeches and press briefing, while food and drinks were served.
In a brief statement, Ambassador Alford said Tuesday was election-day in the US, with citizens deciding who will steer the affairs of the country in the next four years.
“US is a very democratic state, where everyone has his or her rights to freely decide who should manage the affairs of the state,” he declared.
This, he added, is why there are many newspaper companies, radio stations, online news agencies among others in America, noting that the greatest lesson to learn is how democracy evolves in the US.
Obama re-elected as US President
Meanwhile, according to the BBC, President Barack Obama has been re-elected to a second term, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
America’s first black president secured more than the 270 votes in the electoral college needed to win.
In his victory speech before supporters in Chicago, Mr Obama said he would talk to Mr Romney about “where we can work together to move this country forward”.
Mr Obama prevailed despite lingering dissatisfaction with the economy and a hard-fought challenge by Mr Romney.
His Democrats also retained their majority in the Senate, which they have held since 2007.
The Republicans kept control of the House of Representatives, which analysts say will likely result in more of the gridlock that characterised Mr Obama’s first term, with the House and the president at loggerheads on most legislation.
In his address, the president challenged his opponents, asking them to work with him.
With only Florida’s 29 electoral votes still undecided, Mr Obama won 303 electoral votes to Mr Romney’s 206.
The popular vote, which is symbolically and politically important, but not decisive in the race, remains very close.
‘One nation’ speech
Mr Obama congratulated Mr Romney and Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan on their hard-fought campaign.
“We have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come,” he said.
Mr Obama said he was returning to the White House “more determined, and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do, and the future that lies ahead”.
He pledged to work with Republican leaders in Congress to reduce the government’s budget deficit, fix the tax code and reform the immigration system.
“We are an American family and we rise and fall together as one nation,” he said.
In Boston, where his campaign was based, Mr Romney congratulated the president and said he and Mr Ryan had “left everything on the field” and had given their all in the campaign.
