Andrew Card, Chief Staff of the White House, said here On Wednesday that they were convinced that US President George W. Bush has won the election.

Card, appearing in the Reagan Center early morning, said that Bush's margin of victory was decisive with at least 286 electoral votes.

Bush's margin of victory in Ohio, a battleground state both the Republican and Democratic candidates, statistically insurmountable, he added.

Card said Bush is expected to make a statement later in the day.

White House says Bush gives Kerry "time to reflect"

Card said President Bush will hold off a formal victory declaration to give Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry the "time to reflect" on the results.

Appearing in the Reagan Center where the celebration of victory by the Bush camp and the Republican supporters was slated to be held, Card said that Bush will "give Senator Kerry the respect of more time to reflect on the results of this election."

Earlier, the Cable News Network (CNN) projected that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry won the votes of battleground state Wisconsin, bringing the number of his electoral votes to 252 against 254 votes bagged by Bush.

Wisconsin gave the Massachusetts senator 10 crucial electoral votes as ballot counting entered dead heat. Ohio, which holds 20 electoral votes and is thus set to decide the election result, remains too close to call.

The Electoral College selects the president on the basis of results in each state. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the White House.

Source: Xinhua