Obama wins second term

Barack Obama has been re-elected as president of the United States, defeating the Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

The election was held on 6 November. Obama was declared the winner late in the evening in America, in the early hours of 7 November in Britain.

The result

Obama won most of the key battleground states, including Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada, giving him a comfortable majority in the electoral college. The result in Florida is still being counted.

He also won the popular vote, although by a narrower margin than in 2008.

The best is yet to come

Speaking to supporters in Chicago, Obama said that for the United States, the best was yet to come. He thanked his supporters and said he would work with leaders of both parties to tackle the challenges facing the country.

Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts and businessman, conceded in Boston and congratulated the president, saying the nation was at a critical point.

The campaign

The campaign was dominated by the economy, which has been slow to recover from the recession. Unemployment remains high, at almost 8 per cent. Romney argued that his business experience would help him create jobs, while Obama said his policies were working and needed more time.

The campaign was the most expensive in American history, with billions of dollars spent by the candidates and their supporters.

Hurricane Sandy, which struck the east coast last week, interrupted the campaign in its final days.

Congress divided

The Republicans have kept control of the House of Representatives, while the Democrats have kept control of the Senate. That means Obama will face the same divided Congress that has made it difficult to pass laws.

The fiscal cliff

Obama's immediate challenge is to reach a deal with Congress to avoid the "fiscal cliff", a combination of tax rises and spending cuts due to take effect in January, which economists say could push the economy back into recession.

World reaction

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, congratulated Obama and said he looked forward to continuing to work with him on issues including the economy and the conflict in Syria.

Obama will begin his second term in January.