Washington, DC [US], January 7 : US Congress convened on Monday to count electoral college votes and certify President-elect Donald Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election held in November, The Hill reported.
Trump's election victory was certified ahead of his inauguration with no objections from any lawmakers as the tally of states was announced on the House floor. Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes while Harris got 226 votes, a total that was confirmed during the certification on Monday, marking the final step in the election process before Trump returns back to the White House on January 20.
Republican lawmakers gave a standing ovation in the chamber when Harris announced Trump's victory was certified, The Hill reported. A bipartisan standing ovation broke out in the House Chamber after HArris announced that the joint session of Congress was dissolved. The event lasted for around 30 minutes before Kamala Harris gaveled it out.
Kamala Harris presided over the process and the proceedings went off without a hitch. Several lawmakers helped in the counting, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Deb Fischer and Representatives - Bryan Steil and Joe Morelle. Vice President-elect JD Vance was also present in the chamber during the count.
It comes four years after rioters stormed the Capitol to try and halt the certification of US President Joe Biden's victory over Trump, who had made claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida when the certification played out without much fanfare on Monday.
Hours before the lawmakers arrived to certify election results, Donald Trump called it a "big moment in history." Ahead of the certification, a video was released in which Harris called the "peaceful transfer of power" as a bedrock of US democracy, calling her duty a "sacred obligation," The Hill reported.
She said, "As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile." Harris said, "And it is up to each of us to stand up for our most cherished principles."
A snowstorm hit Washington overnight, worrying lawmakers who were trying to return to the Capitol for the certification, The Hill reported. The certification had to go forward as changing the date due to the weather would have required a new law.
Furthermore, the Capitol Hill was on high alert after the events that happened four years back, with fencing placed around the Capitol complex and more police personnel deployed throughout Senate and House office buildings and the Capitol itself.
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