Joe Biden Wins Election: What Happens Now?
The Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the presidential elections in the United States by surpassing the barrier of 270 delegates to the Electoral College, according to BBC projections.
But what happens now?
The former vice president and now president-elect will not immediately move to the White House, in the heart of Washington, because several things have yet to happen until he is inaugurated on January 20 as president.
Traditionally it is a straightforward process, but this time it will probably have some complications due to the legal challenges that have arisen along the way and the hostility of President Donald Trump, who does not concede defeat.
At BBC Mundo we explain the following steps.
What if Trump does not accept defeat?
By Anthony Zurcher, BBC US Correspondent
Donald Trump has already said that the elections "are far from over" and that he will dispute the results in court.
If these efforts prove futile, the pressure to publicly accept defeat will mount.
But it will?
The call from the losing candidate to the winning candidate, in which the former accepts his defeat and congratulates his rival, is a well-respected tradition among US politicians and marks the end of the electoral contest.
But that does not mean it is mandatory.
For example, in 2018, Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams denounced voter fraud and intimidation and never accepted the victory of her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp.
That has never happened in the modern history of US presidential elections.
But just as in Georgia, as long as the election results are legally processed and certified, the machinery of government will continue to function, regardless of what Trump may do.
And although he does not have to accept defeat and may even be absent from Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, the current president does have legal obligations.
For example, you must authorize your government team to carry out the preparations and logistics for the arrival of the new president.
According to officials in the Trump administration, this is something the president has already done.
Donald Trump came to the presidency after a campaign in which he was seen as an unconventional candidate and little fearful of breaking with US political norms and traditions.
So, if he wants it, it is also possible that he will leave the presidency that way.
Will there be legal challenges?
It is already certain that Trump wants to challenge the results of the last states whose results were projected in favor of Biden.
He alleges fraud but there is no evidence of such a thing.
A team of reputable lawyers leads cases to try to get certain votes not counted.
The legal challenge begins in the courts of each state and could end in the Supreme Court.
Legal experts, however, believe that these lawsuits are unlikely to be successful.
Counts are expected in some states, but the result is not expected to change either.
What is the presidential transition?
This is the period that elapses from when the result of the election is known until a new presidential term begins, on January 20.
The president-elect assembles a group of people called the transition team, which is charged with taking control of the country immediately after the inauguration ceremony concludes.
In fact, Joe Biden has already created a transition portal.
This team is in charge of choosing the people who will be in charge of the different ministries, discusses political priorities and creates a roadmap to govern.
The members of the group go to the different federal agencies to receive relevant information on issues such as budgets.
They gather all that intelligence for incoming staff and are then available to help after the inauguration. Some of them may be elected to the government.
In 2016, then-President Barack Obama met his successor, Donald Trump, in the Oval Office, which is the seat of the presidency, and the little relationship that existed between the two was evident.
Joe Biden has spent months in the process of choosing his transition team.
What role does Kamala Harris have in this transition?
Kamala Harris, the first woman democratically elected to the position of US vice president, will form her team and will have time to learn about the tasks of her position in a handover with the previous administration, which was in the hands of Mike Pence.
The vice president functions in the west wing of the White House, but the vice president will not live there.
Previous vice presidents have taken up residence within the US Naval Observatory, which is located about ten minutes from the White House.
Harris's husband, Douglas Emhoff, is a lawyer who works in the entertainment industry. "So proud of you," Emhoff published on his social networks when the triumph of the duo made up of his wife and Biden was known.
When does Joe Biden become president?
It is written in the US Constitution that the new presidential term begins on January 20 at noon.
And it occurs in a ceremony called the inauguration day that takes place in the nation's capital, Washington DC.
The new president and the new vice president will take an oath before a Supreme Court judge.
So both are expected to be inaugurated on January 20, 2021.
Of course, there are exceptions to this calendar.
The rules state that if a president dies or resigns, the vice president is sworn into office as soon as possible.
What terms are we going to hear and read in the next few weeks?
President-elect: this is the name of the candidate who has won the election but has not yet sworn in as the new president. That's what Biden is called from now on.
Ministerial Cabinet: President-elect Biden will soon begin announcing who he will appoint ministers. That includes the heads of all federal government departments and agencies.
Confirmation Hearing: Many of the top government appointments require Senate approval. For this reason, the people chosen by Biden must be interviewed by committees in the Senate in a hearing followed by a vote to approve or reject the nomination.
Celtic: As president-elect, Biden will receive increased protection from the Secret Service and his codename will be Celtic. Those names are chosen by the candidate.
Donald Trump was Mogul (which means tycoon, in English) and Kamala Harris will be Pioneer (pioneer, in English).
What is it like to move into the White House?
The move is certainly better today than it was in 1800, when the first presidential couple, John and Abigail Adams, moved there: the building was unfinished then.
The new president and his family are expected to replace the decor or furniture due to wear and tear, so Congress reserves an amount of money for this purpose.
There are 132 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms to keep in residence alone.
First lady Melania Trump, having worked in the world of fashion, led several home improvements and was in charge of the lavish event in which the mansion's Christmas decorations were displayed.
