Washington - Saba:
The snowstorm approaching Washington will not prevent the US Congress from certifying Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections, US House Speaker said late on Sunday.
"The electoral vote counting law requires that on January 6 at 1 p.m. So whether we are in a snowstorm or not, we will be in that room to make sure that we do that," Mike Johnson added in remarks carried by media.
He also expressed his hope that members of the US Congress will meet in the Capitol in full force to participate in the session.
The new US Congress will hold a formal procedure on Monday to sort and certify the results of the 2024 presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump, while Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who lost the election, is expected to preside over the process.
After this formal procedure, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance will be able to assume their duties by taking the oath of office at the inauguration ceremony, which will be held on January 20.
The authorities in the US capital, Washington, declared a state of emergency on Sunday, due to the impending snowstorm, which will remain in effect until the end of January 7.
Earlier, local media reported that a strong winter storm threatens about 62 million people in the central and eastern United States, and will bring heavy snowfall, dangerous ice, rain and severe thunderstorms.
These weather conditions are expected to affect at least a dozen states, with the possibility of power outages in large areas. We may witness strong thunderstorms in warm states.