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US Congress Certifies Bush as President-elect
US Congress on Saturday formally counted the electoral votes and certified Republican George W. Bush as president-elect of the country.
In his role as president of the Senate, defeated Vice President Al Gore presided over Saturday's joint session and announced the election results after House Democrats objected futilely to counting Florida's votes.
As no senator jointed the House members in their objections as required by the law, Bush kept Florida's 25 electoral votes and defeated Gore by 271-266 in the Electoral College.
A candidate needs 270 electoral votes, a majority of the country's 538 electoral votes, to win the presidency of the United States.
Saturday's certification cleared the way for Bush to be sworn in on January 20 as the 43rd U.S. president.
"May God bless our new president and new vice president and may God bless the United States of America," Gore said.
Gore is the first vice president to verify his own White House defeat since Richard Nixon did so in 1961 after he was beaten by John Kennedy.
House Democrats offered 20 objections to certification of Florida's votes. About 16 House Democratic legislators walked off the House floor in protest after their objections failed.
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