After storming the US Capitol, Congress has now officially confirmed the result of the presidential election. In the ongoing vote, Joe Biden reached the required 270 voters on Thursday.
The incumbent US Vice President Mike Pence announced the official final result in a joint meeting of both chambers of congress.
It was actually a formality that usually happens quickly: Congress met on Wednesday to formally confirm the results of the presidential election. However, driven by the unsubstantiated claims of fraud by US President Donald Trump, Republicans have repeatedly objected.
On Thursday night (local time), the Senate and the House of Representatives rejected the objection by Republican MPs and Republican Senator Josh Hawley, which they had lodged against the election result from the state of Pennsylvania. Only seven senators supported the objections, 92 voted against. The board decided not to debate the objection. After a debate in the House of Representatives, 282 MPs voted against the move, 138 in favor.
The deliberations in Congress were also overshadowed by violent riots by angry Trump supporters. Rioters had temporarily stormed the congress building, causing the congress sessions to be interrupted for several hours.