President-elect Joe Biden pumps his fist on stage with his vice-president elect Kamala Harris. AP Photo
President-elect Joe Biden pumps his fist on stage with his vice-president elect Kamala Harris. AP Photo
President-elect Joe Biden pumps his fist on stage with his vice-president elect Kamala Harris. AP Photo
President-elect Joe Biden pumps his fist on stage with his vice-president elect Kamala Harris. AP Photo

How did Joe Biden secure the presidency?


Layla Mashkoor
  • English
  • Arabic

Joe Biden was declared the next US president on Saturday after a marathon election was finally sealed by a tidal wave of mail-in ballots from Pennsylvania that favoured the Democrat.

In an election unlike any other, Americans and international observers spent five days keenly watching as four battleground states released voter returns, often a few thousand ballots at a time.

After days of anticipation, Mr Biden swung head in Pennsylvania by nearly 35,000 ballots on Saturday and the Associated Press along with several US media outlets declared the lead was too wide for Donald Trump to make up. Joe Biden was declared the 46th president of the United States.

Shortly after, the state of Nevada was also called for Mr Biden, giving him 290 electoral votes and further securing his grasp on a hotly contested presidency.

Mr Biden’s heavy focus on his home state of Pennsylvania during the final days of campaigning paid off for him. He won the large majority of mail-in ballots that came from the state.

Pennsylvania, like the other swing states of Nevada, Georgia and Arizona, was not allowed to pre-process their mail-in ballots, which caused a large backlog of early votes that elections officials worked tirelessly to count over five days.

As nail-biting returns were released by the states, a few trends emerged that helped to push Mr Biden towards the presidency. The Democrat was largely the favourite among voters who mailed in their ballots, while Mr Trump faired best with Americans who voted in person on November 3. This explains how Mr Trump pulled ahead in the early hours of the election, but lost his advantage as more mail-in ballots were tabulated.

The Republican candidate repeatedly called into question the legitimacy of postal ballots and told his supporters not to vote by mail, despite the voting method being entirely secure and fair. Mr Trump’s insistence that the US Postal Service was not reliable is partly why his lead in the race dwindled in the days following the election.

Mr Trump made several unfounded claims as his lead in the election slipped away, and Republicans in swing states have issued a number of lawsuits to contest the counting of mail-in and provisional ballots. Many of the lawsuits have already been thrown out for a lack of evidence.

By Friday, it was all but official that Mr Biden had won the presidency. The shift many Biden supporters were waiting for came when the states of Georgia and Pennsylvania flipped blue as Mr Biden pulled ahead of Mr Trump.

Georgia has not voted for a Democratic president since 1992. Mr Biden also leads in the traditionally Republican state of Arizona.

Mr Biden will inherit a White House in crisis as the US hit record-high daily Covid-19 infections on the day of his win, and the US economy is shaking under the impact of the pandemic. The election occurred during a period of distress in America, which may explain some of the significant shifts in voting patterns that were seen during this election.

From a record 147 million ballots that were cast, the popular vote went to Mr Biden by a notable margin, with the president-elect securing 4.5 million more votes than Mr Trump nationally. Due to the US electoral college model, the popular vote is not a determining factor in election outcomes.

Mr Biden won the presidency exactly 48 years to the day after he was first elected to the Senate.

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ALL THE RESULTS

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.

Catch 74kg

Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.

Strawweight (Female)

Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.

Lightweight

Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
88 Video's most popular rentals

Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

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Tips for avoiding trouble online
  • Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
  • Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
  • Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
  • Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
  • Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi

Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)

Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)

Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)

Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).

Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)

Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)

Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)

Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)

Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia

Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)

Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)

THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

Opening weekend Premier League fixtures

Weekend of August 10-13

Arsenal v Manchester City

Bournemouth v Cardiff City

Fulham v Crystal Palace

Huddersfield Town v Chelsea

Liverpool v West Ham United

Manchester United v Leicester City

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur

Southampton v Burnley

Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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