The United States presidential election is arguably the most closely watched democratic event worldwide. With a GDP of $27 trillion, the US leads a coalition of many Western powers, including countries in the Pacific such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

The country allocates over $829 billion to defence spending, which includes provisions for military aid to allied and friendly nations, along with an additional $28 billion through USAID for assistance to developing countries.

Since Pakistan’s independence in 1947, the US has provided economic and military aid to us, historically being Pakistan’s largest donor. However, the level of aid has fluctuated over time due to the changing geopolitical landscape in the region.

The US has two main political parties: the Republican Party (represented by the colour red) and the Democratic Party (going with the colour blue). Occasionally, there are independent candidates and smaller parties, but they typically do not secure a significant number of votes. For instance, Ross Perot won 19 per cent of the popular vote in 1992, but did not receive any electoral votes.

The president of the US is not directly elected by citizens; instead, the Electoral College is responsible for choosing the president. Each state is treated as an independent entity, and all of its electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who wins the majority of the popular vote within that state.

Each state is allocated a number of electors equal to its total number of representatives in Congress (both House and Senate). With 100 senators, 435........

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