Democrat Barack Obama elected US president (Video)

Democratic candidate Barack Obama is elected president of the United States of America. Obama’s victory was decided after his win in Florida and California. Besides, the democratic leader gained victory in the states of Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and New Mexico. He gained 338 voted of the electors.

To become the 44th US president, Obama needed at least 270 out of 538 electors to vote for him.

Republican candidate John McCain admitted his defeat and congratulated Obama on victory. “I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him on being elected the next president,” he said speaking to his supporters in Phoenix (Arizona). McCain conceded his rival had a success. “His success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance,” he emphasised.

Barack Obama was born in 1961 in Honolulu to a Kenyan Barack Hussein Obama, and Ann Dunham, a white American. In 2004, he became the fifth Afro-American senator in the US. Barack Obama contested with Hilary Clinton, having his personal rating 33 per cent lower. However, Obama’s team did a great work and he managed to gain a victory over former first lady of the US. Barack Obama has been canvassing supporters everywhere, even many republicans joined him.

On February 10, 2007 Obama officially announced for president at a meeting in Springfield (Illinois). He chose Senator Joe Biden as Vice President. After the Democratic Party had nominated him for presidency, he became the first Afro-American in the US history who was nominated by a major US political party for President.

Obama states for human rights, is going to support the middle class and reduce a gap between the rich and the poor. He is going to make education more available for most of the Americans and provides citizens with housing, plans to put down tax rate for working families and reform health care. He supports middle-of-the-road policy towards immigrants, he voted for aid programs for immigrants. Obama stands for legal abortions, including late-term abortions. He is against LGBT discrimination, but doesn’t agree marriage for same-sex couples should be allowed. He also stands against death penalty.

In foreign policy, his main positions are pullout of the US troops from Iraq (within 16 months since he is US President) and nuclear disarmament. Unlike McCain, who called to exclude Russia from the G8, Obama didn’t afford harsh criticism and urged to develop cooperation with Russia in his A New Strategy for A New World speech on July 15, 2008. In view of Georgian-S. Ossetian conflict, he stated for reconsideration of the relations with Russia, including Russia’s joining the World Trade Organization.

In May 2008, Obama resigned from United Church of Christ, he had belonged to for twenty years, due to scandalous sermons of Pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago Jeremiah Wright.

Obama is married to Michelle Robinson, a lawyer. Has two daughters.