US elections: Akufo-Addo congratulates Joe Biden

President Akufo-Addo has congratulated Joe Biden following his victory in the US Presidential elections.

The BBC projects that Mr Biden has won the key battleground of Pennsylvania, propelling him over the 270 electoral college vote threshold required to clinch the White House.

The Trump campaign has indicated their candidate does not plan to concede.

The result makes Mr Trump the first one-term president since the 1990s.

In a statement, President Akufo-Addo said: “On behalf of the Government and people of Ghana, I extend my warmest congratulations to the President-Elect of the United States of America, Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr, on his decisive victory in the elections of 3rd November 2020. I also congratulate Senator Kamala Harris on becoming the first woman Vice President-Elect of the United States.

“It is my sincere hope that President-Elect Biden’s tenure of office will be marked by the delivery of unity, security, progress and prosperity to all Americans.

“I am hopeful that, over the course of his presidency, relations between Ghana and the United States of America will continue to grow from strength to strength, relations which have, over the years, been based on a shared agenda of freedom, development, progress and prosperity. Warm congratulations, once again, to President-Elect Joe Biden, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, and the people of the United States of America”.

The election has seen the highest turnout since 1900. Mr Biden has won more than 73 million votes so far, the most ever for a US presidential candidate. Mr Trump has drawn almost 70 million, the second-highest tally in history.

President Trump had falsely declared himself the winner of the election when vote counting was unfinished. He has since alleged irregularities in counting, but has not presented any evidence of election fraud.

His campaign has filed a barrage of lawsuits in various states and earlier on Friday, as Mr Biden appeared on the cusp of victory, said: “This election is not over.”