Barack Obama Reelected as United States President

Democrat Barack Obama has defeated Republican Mitt Romney in the American presidential race, granting him his second four-year term in the White House. According to a report by Agence France-Presse on Inquirer.net, Obama, who made history in 2008 by becoming the firstAfrican-American president of America, is only the second democrat to be reelected since World War II after Bill Clinton, who held the seat from 1993 to 2001.

Though he faced several setbacks during his first term, including a troubling economic crisis and a high unemployment rate of 7.9 percent, many Americans, especially the minority groups, still believed in his promise of prioritizing the middle class. His victory was largely propelled by the Hispanic, African-American, and young voters, who were his most ardent supporters in 2008. There are still a few states that have not yet declared their results, but Obama already had 303 electoral votes in his favor as of November 7, exceeding the 270 needed to win the race. 

“In this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back,” he was quoted as saying during a victory party in Chicago. “We know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.”

Romney, who had conceded defeat on November 7, had also called Obama to congratulate him on his win. “I wish all of them well but particularly the President, the first lady and their daughters,” he said. “This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the President will be successful in guiding our nation.”


(Photo by Marc Nozell via Wikimedia Commons)