The President of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump, nevertheless began handing over duties to his chosen successor, Joseph Biden.
What does that transition process look like in the US and why is it so important?
What is the legal basis for handing over duties?
The orderly handover of duties (transition) after the presidential elections in the USA is regulated by a law that has been in force for almost 60 years.
With it, Congress wanted to ensure that Americans could always count on having a functioning government.
"Any interruption caused by the surrender of government duties could result in results detrimental to the security and welfare of the United States and its citizens," the 1963 bill said in a statement.
Who decides in the transition period?
President Donald Trump, after the lost election, is considered a "lame duck".
He will rule until January 20, he can still live in the White House and fly the presidential plane Air Force One.
But politically, he has only limited influence.
Why is it so important to have enough time to hand over power?
In the US, two-month preparations for handing over duties usually begin immediately after the election of a new president.
At the same time, every day is important. The powers that the American president has are very large.
That is why he must be ready to act from the first day, especially when it comes to issues such as national security.
As commander-in-chief of the army, he is responsible for about 1,3 million soldiers and has the codes with which, in case of emergency, he can authorize the use of atomic weapons.
The president and his government have a budget of almost five trillion US dollars (4,2 trillion euros).
What does Biden have to do now?
The new president receives, among other things, a 1.000-page manual, the so-called "Handbook of Government".
In addition, there is a "plum book" of more than 200 pages, which lists about 9.000 leading positions to which the president can appoint new people.
During the transition period, the president must not only assemble his new government, but also appoint people to thousands of positions in the White House, ministries and state institutions.
About 1.200 appointments must be approved by the Senate.
Biden's transition team can dispose of more than six million dollars from the state coffers.
In addition, his associates are now allowed to officially communicate with female government officials.
They have not been able to do this until now, and this has led to the very frequent use of informal channels.
The formal start of the handover of duties is also visible through the web extension .gov, which Biden's team can immediately start using for their online appearances.
When do electors vote?
After the certification of vote counts in all states is complete, the results must be sent to Washington by December 8. Members of the electoral college (electoral college), i.e. 538 electors, cast their vote on December 14.
It is ideally just a formality and reflects the results of the state elections.
The result of the vote is announced only on January 6 at a joint session of both houses of the American Congress (House of Representatives and Senate).
Then the decision about who is the next US president and who is the vice president becomes official.
Why is it all taking so long?
The main reason is the complicated, indirect election system in which electors elected in federal states only later choose the president.
Data and deadlines related to US elections are usually based on laws that are more than 100 years old.
Today, all that could be organized faster, but no one in the US wants to change that established system.
When is the inauguration of the new president?
The ceremonial inauguration will take place on January 20, 2021 at 12 noon local time in front of the Capitol in Washington.
The new president moves into the White House on the same day.
When is the atomic coffin handed over?
By taking the oath, the new president becomes the master of the nuclear codes as well.
As far as the public knows, one soldier with an atomic suitcase, the so-called "nuclear football", is always near the president, in case of emergency.
There is no big red button in the suitcase that the president can press in an emergency.
It contains a series of codes by which the president can order the military, in case of emergency, to use atomic weapons.
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