Georgia’s electoral authorities on Friday certified Democratic Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election after completing a manual 5 million vote counting process in the state.
Defying pressure from US President Donald Trump and several of his allies, Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, confirmed Biden’s triumph today by just over 12,000 votes, as expected. In the recount, Trump counted just over 1,800 votes more than in the initial count, insufficient to reverse his opponent’s victory.
“After working as an engineer my entire life, I live by the motto that numbers don’t lie. As Secretary of State, I believe that the figures presented today are correct. The numbers reflect the people’s verdict, not a decision made by the Secretary of State, by the courts or by the campaigns, ”he said at a news conference.
With the results certified, Biden becomes the first Democrat to win in Georgia since 1992, when former President Bill Clinton overcame Republican George HW Bush, who was seeking re-election.
The Trump campaign now has two business days to request a new recount, as Biden’s margin for the opponent was less than 0.5%. If the process is requested, it would not be performed manually.
Raffensperger was criticized during the recount by Trump, who called the process a “joke”, and by other allies of the president, who continue to claim that there was widespread electoral fraud, without providing evidence.
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