Congress confirms Bush win

George W Bush's victory has been formally sealed

The US Congress has formally confirmed Republican George W Bush's presidential election victory in the electoral college, ruling out objections by some Democratic legislators.

It's a sad day in America when we can't find a senator to sign the objection

Representative Jesse Jackson Jr

It was the job of Mr Bush's Democrat opponent Vice-President Al Gore, as presiding officer in the Senate, to oversee the tally of electoral college votes.

"May God bless our new president and new vice-president and may God bless the United States of America," Mr Gore declared.

Mr Bush received 271 votes to Mr Gore's 266 after winning Florida's controversial 25 college seats.

Gore: ' God bless our new president'

Democrats from the House of Representatives who disagreed with the outcome of the election had said they would disrupt the ceremony.

But their formal objection failed, as house rules require that at least one senator join the objection and none did so.

"It's a sad day in America when we can't find a senator to sign the objection," said legislator Jesse Jackson Jr, son of the civil rights leader.

About a dozen legislators walked off the house floor in protest.

'Frustration and outrage'

The session was a constitutional formality to ratify the electoral college count, originally made on 18 December in the capitals of each US state.

But some Democrats, backed by the Congressional Black Caucus, did not want to accept the result as it stood.

Mr Bush will be inaugurated on 20 January

One by one, about a dozen representatives rose to lodge written objections, but Mr Gore ruled them out of order.

"I don't want history to record that nothing was done to reflect the frustration and outrage from my constituents that this election did not end properly," Florida Representative Alcee Hastings told the French AFP news agency.

The caucus claimed that voting irregularities and official misconduct disenfranchised minorities in Florida, and could have denied Mr Gore victory in the state.

The BBC's Rob Watson in Washington says that, although the protest was short-lived, it was a powerful reminder to Mr Bush that some still question his right to the presidency.