International Affairs

USA elects new President

On November 3, 2020 the citizens of the United States of America voted to elect their new President. On November 8, the results declared Joe Biden as the new, 46th President of USA. Joe Biden will take-over from former President Donald Trump. With Biden’s win, his running mate and candidate for Vice-President Kamala Harris has become the first woman and the first person of colour to become US Vice-President. 
 
American election system-
·The President holds office for 4 years
·Citizens vote in every state to elect members of the electoral college who in turn cast their vote to elect the President
·President is the head of the state and the government
 
Winning the battleground state of Pennsylvania’s 20 Electoral College votes gave Biden more than the 270 he needed to secure the presidency. Biden is the oldest candidate ever elected to the White House. He spent 8 years as vice president to Barack Obama.
 
Implication for India-
·Will impact India as it inches closer to America strategically under the Indo-Pacific set-up and faces a tough challenge from China
·Biden had declared his 2020 dream of making India and the US the two closest nations in the world
·During his address to the Indian Americans on 15 August, Biden had made it clear that if he comes to power, the administration will accord ‘high priority’ to India
·India can expect the US to continue putting pressure on China while it competes with it in every aspect - defence, trade and commerce, as well as technology.
·India had participated in the last meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad, along with the US, Japan and Australia in October. At present, the 4 countries are participating in a joint maritime exercise - Malabar 2020 - with the objective to strengthen naval ties with each other.
·Under the Trump administration, trade became a major sticking point in the India-US relationship. While the US came down heavily on countries with which it had a trade deficit, it was also the first time America expressed its intention publicly to have a free trade agreement (FTA) with India.
 
With his defeat, Donald Trump became the first President since 1993 to have been voted out after a single term in office. 



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