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The elected US President Joe Biden is given access to the government infrastructure, which he was previously denied, in order to prepare for his assumption of office.

Incumbent Donald Trump instructed the authorities to cooperate with Biden, as he announced on Twitter.

The responsible authority had previously classified GSA Biden as the likely election winner and thus gave the green light for the Trump administration to cooperate with the Democrat's team.

Trump still refuses to admit his defeat in the November 3rd election, claiming that the victory was stolen from him through massive election fraud.

He made it clear on Monday that he would keep fighting and was once again confident of victory.

However, more than 30 lawsuits by his lawyers have been dismissed by the courts.

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The election result in Michigan, another important state, was also officially confirmed on Monday.

Then Emily Murphy, the chief of the General Service Administration (GSA), sent a letter to Biden published by the news channel CNN.

This will give Biden's transition team, among other things, access to 6.3 million dollars, which are intended for the seamless handover of official business.

At the same time, his employees are now officially allowed to communicate with government officials - something they were previously denied.

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"The decision made today is a necessary step to begin addressing the challenges our country is facing," said a statement from Biden's transition team.

The orderly handover of official business (“transition”) after a presidential election has been enshrined in law for almost 60 years.

In doing so, Congress wanted to ensure that Americans could always count on having a functioning government.

"Any interruption caused by the transfer of government business could result in results that are detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its citizens," it said in 1963 to justify the law.

The US president is the most powerful man in the western world - that's why the "transition" is so important.

He must be fully operational from day one: He will be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, have responsibility for a good 1.3 million soldiers and have the codes to authorize the use of nuclear weapons in an emergency.

He and his government will be responsible for a budget worth nearly five trillion US dollars (4.2 trillion euros).

The pandemic and the economic crisis will also give the president little time to familiarize himself with the situation.

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Newly elected presidents use the two and a half months between the vote and the inauguration to put their government team together.

It's not just about the cabinet, state secretaries and heads of authorities.

Unlike in Germany, for example, the President also has to quickly fill thousands of positions in the White House, ministries and authorities.

Around 1200 of the personal details must be approved by the Senate.

An elected president must therefore begin staffing as early as possible in order to implement his policy.

The election on November 3rd was followed by an unusually long hanging game.

It was not until four days later that the US media - as is usual in the United States - declared Biden the winner on the basis of their own surveys and counted votes.

The last time George Bush senior was voted out after only one term in office was in 1992.

Biden came in with victories in numerous states above the 270 electoral mark required for success.

The US president is only elected indirectly by the people.

The votes of the voters decide on the composition of the electoral college, which then elects the president in December.

A candidate needs a majority of the 538 electorate to win.

Biden is due to be sworn in on January 20th.