Upset by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Democratic convention which is to make Joe Biden the party's official candidate for the US presidential election in November opens, Monday, August 17, for four days in an unprecedented format.

The ongoing health crisis has forced Democrats to forgo the originally planned rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and replace it with a series of two-hour video conference speeches that aired in the early evening.

Among the speakers announced on Monday include Bernie Sanders, independent senator from Vermont and former opponent of Joe Biden in the race for the Democratic nomination, the former first lady Michelle Obama or the Republican John Kasich, former governor of the Ohio who ran for the Republican nomination against Donald Trump in 2016.

Young New Yorker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the main voices in the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party, is also due to speak at the convention. The Democratic Party hopes this opening parade will underscore the unity of the anti-Trump coalition, following the 2016 convention marked by lingering resentment between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

US presidential election: an unprecedented democratic convention

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The rising stars of the party put forward

The organizers also announced that 17 young politicians considered to be rising stars of the Party would participate in the traditional opening speech, hoping to appease the discontent of some young Latin American activists who felt that their speaking time had been too long. limit.

Joe Biden, who is to be formally invested on Tuesday, is due to deliver the convention's closing speech on Thursday. Her running mate, Kamala Harris, the first black woman to appear on a presidential "ticket", will deliver a speech on Wednesday after her inauguration.

>> To read also: "American presidential: with Kamala Harris, Joe Biden chooses complementarity"

According to the organizers, the first evening of the Democratic convention will also be an opportunity to present portraits of Americans facing the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"This convention is an opportunity to highlight, in front of a large audience, the failures of the Trump administration from which Americans are suffering," said Ed Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania and longtime friend of Joe Biden. .

A challenge to thrill the crowds

In the absence of the crowds of supporters who have traditionally run these conventions, organizers face the challenge of building momentum for the campaign and building enthusiasm around the Democratic candidate.

Joe Biden is ahead of Donald Trump in national polls conducted ahead of the two-party conventions. For his part, the current tenant of the White House will be formally invested to be a candidate for a second term at the Republican Party convention next week.

Eager not to leave the field open to his opponent, Donald Trump is planning campaign visits to four states in the coming days that could be crucial in the battle for the White House. He is due to travel to Minnesota and Wisconsin on Monday, Arizona Tuesday and Thursday to Scranton, Joe Biden's hometown, Pennsylvania.

With Reuters

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