Bush wins presidency after Supreme Court ruling

George W Bush is to become the next president of the United States, after the Supreme Court ended the recount of votes in Florida and the vice-president, Al Gore, conceded defeat.

Gore conceded in a televised address on 13 December, the day after the Supreme Court ruled by five votes to four that the recount could not continue.

Five weeks of drama

The election was held on 7 November, but the result depended on Florida, where the two candidates were separated by only a few hundred votes out of almost six million. Whoever won the state would win a majority in the electoral college, which decides the presidency.

A machine recount narrowed Bush's lead, and Gore's campaign asked for votes to be counted again by hand in several counties. Officials examined punch-card ballots for "hanging chads", pieces of card that had not been fully punched out.

The dispute went through the Florida courts and twice to the United States Supreme Court. Florida's Secretary of State had certified Bush the winner by 537 votes.

The ruling

The Supreme Court ruled that the recount ordered by Florida's Supreme Court violated the constitution because different counties were using different standards to judge ballots, and that there was no time to carry out a fair recount before the deadline.

Some of the justices who disagreed wrote strongly worded dissents, warning that the ruling could damage public confidence in the court.

Gore concedes

In his speech, Gore said he strongly disagreed with the court's decision but accepted it. He said that for the sake of national unity, he offered his concession.

Gore won more votes nationally than Bush, by around half a million, but the American system means the winner is decided state by state.

The new president

Bush, 54, is the governor of Texas and the son of the former president George Bush, who served from 1989 to 1993. He will be sworn in on 20 January.

In a speech in Austin, Bush promised to be president of one nation, not of one party, and said he would work to heal the divisions caused by the election.

What it means for Britain

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has worked closely with President Bill Clinton, and will now need to build a relationship with a Republican president. Downing Street has said Blair looks forward to working with Bush.

The dispute has prompted calls in the United States for reform of the voting system, including the replacement of old punch-card machines.