“Tough Implementation of Anti-terrorism War”

After he was successfully re-elected on November 3, President George W. Bush manifested, “With good allies at our side, we will fight this war on terror with every resource of our national power and work for the integration of disintegrated citizens.”

Through the acceptance speech at the Ronald Reagan building in downtown Washington on that afternoon, President Bush stressed that he will work to integrate the American society which was divided during the election process, saying, “We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America.”

According to the final ballot counts of the U.S. presidential election held on November 2, President Bush won in 30 states including Iowa, and was successfully re-elected by securing 286 electoral college votes out of 538. The majority for the election is 270 votes. Candidate John Kerry won in 19 states including New York, California, and Washington D.C., thereby winning 252 electoral college votes.

After being officially elected president by the electoral college votes process on December 13, President Bush will have the inauguration ceremony on January 20 of next year.

Although the Democratic Party once expressed that it will appeal against the outcome, disapproving of the loss in Ohio, candidate Kerry called President Bush around 11:00 a.m. on November 3 (1:00 a.m., November 4 Korean time), acknowledging his defeat and congratulating Bush’s victory, and the election concluded.

Following the call, candidate Kerry officially acknowledged his defeat at Faneuil Hall in Boston, saying, “The election outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal process.”

The Republican Party won four more seats to secure a total of 55 seats in the Senate through the election which voted 34 new Senators out of a total of 100, and it also won four more seats in the Congress to secure 232 seats through the election to replace all 435 Congressmen.

Soon-Taek Kwon maypole@donga.com