Illinois Senator Barack Obama was declared winner of the November 4 elections by major US television channels at about 4.00 a.m. GMT on Wednesday. The Democratic candidate becomes the 44th President and the first black President of the United States once he secured more than the 270 electoral votes necessary for the White House. He won all five states where voting closed at 4.00 a.m. GMT - California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, securing more than 300 electoral votes, according to preliminary results.
Update: John McCain: "The American people have spoken, and they've spoken clearly". McCain congratulated Obama for his victory
Prior to that, Obama appeared to have secured some 207 electoral votes while Republican John McCain recorded some 141, according to unofficial results of US elections at about 04.00 a.m. GMT. Obama had the upper hand in a series of East Coast states including Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont and District of Columbia. He also seems to have secured victory in the key states of Pennsylvania and Ohio as well as Maine, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Iowa and Minnesota. McCain won South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama and Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Utah, Kansas and Mississippi.
Key moments of the voting process and vote counting:
06.55 Romanian time: Barack Obama delivers his first speech to the thousand supporters in Grant Park, Chicago: the victory is yours!
06.25 Romanian time: Democrat supporters celebrate Obama's victory across America in New York, Chicago, Washington.
06.20 Romanian time: incumbent US President George W. Bush congratulates Obama for his victory.
6.15 Romanian tine:McCain confirms his defeat in a speech in Phoenix (Arizona). The Republican declares he congratulated
