Large crowds have formed on the streets of the United States less than 24 hours after Donald Trump's stunning victory in the 2016 elections.
While the demonstrations that are taking place countrywide across many major cities in the United States are peaceful, although signs of violence and obscenities being shouted targeting the president elect have been reported. With the cries of "Not my President" echoing the streets, protesters refuse to accept Trump becoming the 45th president.
Many are protesting outside the famous Trump Tower in New York, blocking the entrance. Many are still showing solidarity for Hilary Clinton while others are stating that Bernie Sanders, who lost in the Democratic Party primaries should be the elect. Protesters are saying that Trump's views do not represent the US, and that Trump should step away from office without dividing the country further.
Many gathered in the streets are protesting against the Electoral College Votes, a system which gives more votes to larger states and could potentially see a candidate win the popular vote and still lose the election. This is the case this time around, with Hillary Clinton securing 59,814,018 votes, around 200,000 more votes than her competitor Donald Trump's 59,611,678 votes.
Despite losing the popular vote to Clinton, Trump still managed to pull through and win the election by taking many major swing states and securing 279 electoral college votes to Clinton's 228. This has led many of the protesters to demand the withdrawal of this centuries old system which has seen elections won without popular vote before as well.
Trump's victory came as a surprise to many political pundits, all of whom would have laughed at the prospect of a Trump presidency less than an year ago. But Trump managed to pull through the Republican primaries and eventually the election facing it as an outsider with no previous political experience.
Trumps extreme views and harsh policies only seemed to contribute to his popularity, and he has become the president elect and will soon be serving as the 45th President of the United States. Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen has stated that he believes good can come out of a Trump presidency, and has said that he hopes that the US will stop policing the world.
