Last night around 02:00BST there was a third and last Televised United States of America's Presidential candidates debate which featured Republicans' Sen. John McCain and Democrats' Sen. Barack Obama.
The debate was good in general, each candidate did perform well and to be fair it was very difficult to separate the two! So it will go to the wire!!
The positives I took from this debate, and other two previous debates, is that candidates, despite their differences in ideologies, policies, opinion and background, they always showed and put public interests first. Also both candidates looked calm, friendly, respecting each other and also they recognised each others' potential ability to lead their Nation. Above all, at the end of last night's debate both candidates praised each other and shook hands!
During the debate I witnessed political maturity and professionalism from both Presidential candidates. This is a lesson we, in Africa, have to learn -that irrespective our differences in political opinion or beliefs, we should be friends and put forward the people's interests and not personal interests. Eventually the voters would have the last say and whoever ultimately wins we should be behind him/her for the interest of our respective nations. By doing this conflicts and wars would be a thing of the past and 'peace and prosperity' would flourish forever! God Bless Africa.
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Q&A: US presidential election
The US president has been a Bush or a Clinton since 1988
US President George W Bush will not leave office until 20 January 2009, but the race to succeed him is well under way.
The major parties formally nominated their candidates in the last week of August and the first week of September, leaving two months for the full-swing general election campaign.
When is the vote?
Election day is Tuesday 4 November, 2008.
Who is being elected?
The 44th president of the United States. At the same time, elections will be held for all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the seats in the Senate. Eleven state Governors will also be elected, as will various state assemblies and other state office holders.
Who is running?
The Democratic Party has chosen Barack Obama as its candidate - the first black person to be nominated by either main party. He has picked Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.
The Republican Party has selected John McCain, a 72-year-old Vietnam veteran who, if successful, would be the oldest president sworn in for a first term. His choice for vice-presidential candidate is 44-year-old Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
The election is also notable for who is not running - it's the first since 1928 in which neither an incumbent president nor vice-president has sought his party's nomination. (Though in 1952 the incumbent president dropped out early in the race.) George W Bush cannot stand again because the US Constitution limits a president to two terms in office.
Which party has the best chance?
A majority of voters have a low opinion of the Bush presidency. This, and the poor state of the economy, appears to give the Democrats an advantage.
A Pew Research Centre study of long-term trends, published in October 2007, noted that President Bush's approval rating had fallen from 50% to 30% over the previous four years, adding: "The Democrats' advantage over the Republicans on party affiliation is not only substantially greater than it was four years ago, but is the highest recorded during the past two decades."
The Democratic-controlled Congress has scored even lower approval ratings than Mr Bush but the Democrats are, nonetheless, expected to extend their majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
What are the main issues?
The state of the economy is the biggest problem agitating American voters. Iraq is another major issue, and one on which the two main candidates are divided - Mr Obama pledges to withdraw US troops rapidly, while Mr McCain foresees a gradual withdrawal as the situation in the country stabilises.
Improving access to healthcare is a major goal for Democrats, and illegal immigration is a burning issue for many Republicans.
Concerned by rising fuel prices, both candidates argue for a reduction in US dependence on imported oil, but there are differences in emphasis. Mr McCain is keen on drilling new oil wells off the US coast, Mr Obama favours higher fuel efficiency standards for cars.
Social issues such as abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage seem to be slightly less important to voters than they were at the time of the last election in 2004.
Election issues guide
What happens next?
Among the highlights will be televised presidential debates on 26 September, and 7 and 15 October. The vice-presidential candidates will face each other in a debate on 2 October.
The candidates are likely to focus a lot of their campaigning effort in key battleground states. The rhetoric from both sides will be ratcheted up and TV viewers in key areas will find themselves bombarded with campaign attack ads.
Which are the key battleground states?
The pattern in recent years has been that most of the states on the east and west coasts vote Democrat and most of the others vote Republican.
However, there are a number of states that could swing either way. These include: Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania (each with 20 or more electoral college votes), and also Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mr Obama believes he can challenge Mr McCain in a number of states that have been safe for the Republicans in recent years, such as North Carolina, where major efforts to register black voters are under way. Mr McCain believes he could take the previously safe Democrat state of Oregon.
Does the candidate who gets the most votes win the presidency?
Not necessarily. Voters do not, technically, participate in a direct election of the president. They choose "electors" pledged to support a particular candidate - these are the people who actually elect the president. (There are 538 of them, and big states have more of them than small states.)
In every state except Maine and Nebraska, the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral college votes in that state, even if his or her majority is wafer thin. So it can happen that a candidate ends up with more electoral college votes than the rival candidate, and yet a smaller share, nationally, of the popular vote.
Quick guide: Presidential election
Are there any third-party candidates?
Independent candidate Ralph Nader is running this year, as he did in 2000 and 2004. Accused by some Democrats of splitting the left-of-centre vote in 2000, and allowing George Bush to win, he is not expected to be a major factor in the 2008 race.
There is also a third-party candidate on the right, Bob Barr, running for the Libertarian Party. Candidates are also standing for the Green Party and Constitution Party.
(source: bbc website)
Q&A: US presidential election
The US president has been a Bush or a Clinton since 1988
US President George W Bush will not leave office until 20 January 2009, but the race to succeed him is well under way.
The major parties formally nominated their candidates in the last week of August and the first week of September, leaving two months for the full-swing general election campaign.
When is the vote?
Election day is Tuesday 4 November, 2008.
Who is being elected?
The 44th president of the United States. At the same time, elections will be held for all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the seats in the Senate. Eleven state Governors will also be elected, as will various state assemblies and other state office holders.
Who is running?
The Democratic Party has chosen Barack Obama as its candidate - the first black person to be nominated by either main party. He has picked Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.
The Republican Party has selected John McCain, a 72-year-old Vietnam veteran who, if successful, would be the oldest president sworn in for a first term. His choice for vice-presidential candidate is 44-year-old Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
The election is also notable for who is not running - it's the first since 1928 in which neither an incumbent president nor vice-president has sought his party's nomination. (Though in 1952 the incumbent president dropped out early in the race.) George W Bush cannot stand again because the US Constitution limits a president to two terms in office.
Which party has the best chance?
A majority of voters have a low opinion of the Bush presidency. This, and the poor state of the economy, appears to give the Democrats an advantage.
A Pew Research Centre study of long-term trends, published in October 2007, noted that President Bush's approval rating had fallen from 50% to 30% over the previous four years, adding: "The Democrats' advantage over the Republicans on party affiliation is not only substantially greater than it was four years ago, but is the highest recorded during the past two decades."
The Democratic-controlled Congress has scored even lower approval ratings than Mr Bush but the Democrats are, nonetheless, expected to extend their majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
What are the main issues?
The state of the economy is the biggest problem agitating American voters. Iraq is another major issue, and one on which the two main candidates are divided - Mr Obama pledges to withdraw US troops rapidly, while Mr McCain foresees a gradual withdrawal as the situation in the country stabilises.
Improving access to healthcare is a major goal for Democrats, and illegal immigration is a burning issue for many Republicans.
Concerned by rising fuel prices, both candidates argue for a reduction in US dependence on imported oil, but there are differences in emphasis. Mr McCain is keen on drilling new oil wells off the US coast, Mr Obama favours higher fuel efficiency standards for cars.
Social issues such as abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage seem to be slightly less important to voters than they were at the time of the last election in 2004.
Election issues guide
What happens next?
Among the highlights will be televised presidential debates on 26 September, and 7 and 15 October. The vice-presidential candidates will face each other in a debate on 2 October.
The candidates are likely to focus a lot of their campaigning effort in key battleground states. The rhetoric from both sides will be ratcheted up and TV viewers in key areas will find themselves bombarded with campaign attack ads.
Which are the key battleground states?
The pattern in recent years has been that most of the states on the east and west coasts vote Democrat and most of the others vote Republican.
However, there are a number of states that could swing either way. These include: Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania (each with 20 or more electoral college votes), and also Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Mr Obama believes he can challenge Mr McCain in a number of states that have been safe for the Republicans in recent years, such as North Carolina, where major efforts to register black voters are under way. Mr McCain believes he could take the previously safe Democrat state of Oregon.
Does the candidate who gets the most votes win the presidency?
Not necessarily. Voters do not, technically, participate in a direct election of the president. They choose "electors" pledged to support a particular candidate - these are the people who actually elect the president. (There are 538 of them, and big states have more of them than small states.)
In every state except Maine and Nebraska, the winner of the popular vote gets all the electoral college votes in that state, even if his or her majority is wafer thin. So it can happen that a candidate ends up with more electoral college votes than the rival candidate, and yet a smaller share, nationally, of the popular vote.
Quick guide: Presidential election
Are there any third-party candidates?
Independent candidate Ralph Nader is running this year, as he did in 2000 and 2004. Accused by some Democrats of splitting the left-of-centre vote in 2000, and allowing George Bush to win, he is not expected to be a major factor in the 2008 race.
There is also a third-party candidate on the right, Bob Barr, running for the Libertarian Party. Candidates are also standing for the Green Party and Constitution Party.
(source: bbc website)
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