Republican-led challenge to Biden's win in Arizona rejected by Congress

Washington, Jan 7 (IANS) Following the violent protests at the Capitol building, the US Congress has voted to reject Republican lawmakers' objection to President-elect Joe Biden's victory over sitting President Donald Trump in the state of Arizona.

The objection was overturned by the Senate in an overwhelming vote of 93 to 6 late Wednesday night, reports Xinhua news agency.

Six Republican Senators voted for the objection.

The House blocked the objection in a subsequent vote of 303 to 121.

The US Congress convened in a joint session earlier in the day to certify Biden's victory, but both the House and the Senate, which were separately debating an objection to the counting of Arizona's electoral votes, had to recess and evacuate after thousands of Trump supporters breached the Capitol.

Confrontations between law enforcement officers and protesters have caused injuries on both sides.

Police of Washington D.C. said that four people have died in the chaos, while 52 others were arrested.

Trump has refused to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 presidential race with Biden and has been pushing claims of a "fraudulent" election, which have been dismissed by US courts at different levels due to a profound lack of evidence.