Elections 2008

Election night at the U.S. Embassy

In the presence of the U.S. Ambassador to Togo  Patricia McMahon Hawkins, nearly three hundred people including representatives of the Togolese government, former ministers, heads of political parties, leaders of civil society organizations and journalists spent the night of November 4 on the premises of the U.S. Embassy in Lome. They followed the historical election of the Democratic Party’s candidate, Barack Obama as president of the United States for the four next years. Soon after the final results of the elections were made public by the two TV channels selected for the occasion -- CNN and France 24 -- applause and  cries of joy burst forth, with Americans and Togolese falling in each other’s arms, some of them in tears.

Suspense lasted a while, although the mock vote done by guests earlier had given a 99% victory to Barack Obama. Indeed for a long time between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., various projections announced a more than tight election in all key states including Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The situation started to become clear after 3 a.m. when the Democratic Party’s candidate won Ohio and then all the “swing states” previously mentioned, including the very close call in Florida. Finally, the Senator of Illinois won 338 Electoral votes, although he need to go over the top was 270 out of 538. His challenger, Senator of Arizona, John McCain won 156 Electoral votes, with 44 Electoral votes still to be decided. The guests  applauded the GOP candidate enthusiastically after he called the president-elect to congratulate him and to assure him that he would be willing to work with the new administration for the benefit of the United States.  The guests broke out in joy when the president-elect appeared in Grant Park, Chicago, to thank voters.

At 47, Barack Obama will succeed George W. Bush. His election will be formalized on December 15, 2008 when members of the Electoral College will gather in their state capitals. The election process ends on January 20, 2009 at the swearing-in ceremony of the new president in front of the Congress in Washington D.C.  Barack Obama will then officially become the 44th President of the United States of America.