Barack Obama elected president

Barack Obama has been elected president of the United States, the first African American to win the office.

The Democratic senator from Illinois defeated the Republican John McCain in the election held on 4 November. The result became clear late at night in America, in the early hours of 5 November in Britain.

A decisive victory

Obama won states that had voted Republican in recent elections, including Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Indiana, and took a clear majority in the electoral college. He also won the popular vote by a significant margin.

Turnout was high, with many young and first-time voters taking part.

Change has come

Speaking to a huge crowd in Grant Park, Chicago, Obama said: "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America."

McCain conceded graciously in Arizona, saying Obama had achieved a great thing for himself and for his country.

Who is Barack Obama?

Obama, 47, was born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and an American mother from Kansas. He studied at Columbia and Harvard, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, and worked as a community organiser in Chicago.

He was elected to the United States Senate in 2004, and rose to national prominence with a speech at the Democratic convention that year. He beat Hillary Clinton in a long battle for the Democratic nomination.

Challenges

Obama will take office on 20 January, facing a deep financial crisis and recession, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has promised to withdraw troops from Iraq, reform healthcare and tackle climate change.

World reaction

Leaders around the world have welcomed the result. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said Obama had run an inspirational campaign and that he looked forward to working with him.

In Kenya, where Obama's father was born, people celebrated in the streets.

A historic moment

For many African Americans, the election of a black president less than 50 years after the civil rights movement is a moment they never expected to see.

People in Birmingham who followed the results through the night have described it as a historic moment.