The Presidential Election 2012

President Barack Obama faced a tough election after a first term troubled by slow economic recovery, high unemployment and opposition to healthcare reforms. He faced Republican candidate Mitt Romney, who touted his experience as both governor and businessman as demonstrating his suitability for the presidency. He pledged to deliver where the Obama administration had failed: economic recovery, a repeal of healthcare reform and job creation. Obama stressed that he had successfully begun economic recovery, and had made advances in foreign policy through the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. Romney made significant progress in the polls after the first presidential debate, making the election result hard to call. While the popular vote was very close with just a few per cent between them, Obama had a clear win in the electoral vote with 61.7 per cent. He was re-elected to the White House for a second term in office.