Presidential Transition Set as Congress Finalizes Electoral Certification

United States: The US Congress is to convene on Monday to formally confirm Republican Donald Trump’s election victory as president, four years after his supporters’ riot in a bid to prevent the certification of his 2020 election defeat.

Fraud Allegations

President Trump has remained to this date insisting that he was a victim of election fraud in the 2020 polls and had stated during his 2024 campaign that he had similar concerns till his victory over Harris on Nov 5, as reported by Reuters.

If I get it right, informal vote counting indicates that Trump became the president with 312 votes in the Electoral College compared to Harris’s 226 votes. His Republicans also gained control in the U.S. Senate. They had a slight majority in the House of Representatives to provide Trump with flexibility in the upcoming changes that he plans to execute when he assumes office on 20th January, starting with tax reductions to immigrants in the United States illegally.

Trump has also said he intends to grant some of the individuals who have been charged for participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, where a group of his supporters stormed the building using exemplary force to gain entry, assaulted police, invaded the chamber where Pence was presiding over Congress’ certification of Biden’s election as the U.S’s sixth president.

Reflections on January 6 Capitol Attack

During the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, insurgents overpowered police lines and attacked approximately 140 officers and buildings, which cost over 2.8 million dollars in damages. Many of the policemen who fought the protesters died in the subsequent weeks, some of them through suicide.

Joint Session of Congress Certifies Electoral College Vote – LIVE at 1pm ET on C-SPAN https://t.co/0LavIpTvxd

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 6, 2025

Due to the violence seen on that day, Congress passed new rules to support what can be considered legal processes of certification at the end of 2022.

Legislative Changes to Electoral Certification

Some of the changes were made immediately before or as a direct result of events surrounding January 6, 2021.

For instance, the new law elaborates, casting a genuine light on the fact that the vice presidency is mostly ceremonial.

Before discussions on objections towards results of a state may begin, at least one of the members in the House and the Senate have to file objections.

Congress is preparing to officially count and certify Donald Trump's electoral college victory over Kamala Harris. Stay updated on the transition to Trump's administration and the new Congress. Read more for the latest developments.https://t.co/1eI2DVn83R

— Inty News (@inty_news) January 6, 2025

Earlier, this had only required one senator and one member of the House of Representatives to object to the certification of a state.

However, the law provides for the selection of electors in the same manner as the laws implemented by the states before the election day; the governors of every state are to submit lists of the electors, as reported by Reuters.

Increased Security Ahead of Inauguration Day

Trump and his allies in 2021 had sought to contact fake electors who favored his claims.

Here's how the Electoral Count Reform Act changed Congress' process on Jan. 6 https://t.co/UCwcRwM7SW

— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 6, 2025

A massive security perimeter has already been built around the Capitol in anticipation of the Inauguration Day scheduled on 20th January.