Is Biden still president and when will the Democrats choose a new candidate?

In an unprecedented move, Joe Biden - as the incumbent president - has chosen to not seek another term in office despite being the presumptive nominee.

After months of calls to resign amid concerns over his age and health, Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday.

He said serving as US president was the "greatest honour of my life to serve" but believes it to be "in the best interest" of the party and country to stand down.

Biden's decision leaves a vacuum in the Democratic party, which - with the election just over 100 days away - urgently needs filling.

Here, ITV News explains what happens next; including whether Biden is still US president and when the Democrats will vote for a new candidate.

Is Joe Biden still president?

While Biden has stepped off the Democratic ticket, he will still remain in the White House.

This will continue until the elected president is inaugurated in January 2025.

In a statement on X, Biden confirmed he would finish his term, posting: “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

Is Kamala Harris the Democratic candidate now?

With Biden stepping aside, Democrats technically start with an open convention. But realistically, his endorsement pushes Democrats into murky territory.

Vice President Kamala Harris is presumed the obvious choice as his successor but she is not automatically the Democratic candidate and other people may put their names forward. The immediate burden is on Harris to solidify support across almost 4,000 delegates from the states, territories and District of Columbia.

How will a replacement be chosen?

Any potential nominee would need 300 signatures among the 4,000 delegates - no more than 50 coming from one state - backing the potential nominee.

This is the only way their name could appear on the ballot at the Democratic National Convention which is scheduled for August 19.

There would then be a vote amongst the delegates, with a candidate requiring 1,976 votes to secure the nomination.

Under recent reforms, if no candidate secures the vote in this round of voting the party's more than 700 so-called superdelegates that include party leaders, certain elected officials and former presidents and vice presidents, will then be included in the vote.

Who might challenge Kamala Harris?

While Harris sits at the top of the list to take over as the Democratic candidate, there are several other contenders who could make a move for a spot on the ticket.

These include: JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Roy Cooper and Andy Beshear.

Will Biden speak again about dropping out of the race?

In his statement Biden promised to address the US in a speech later this week to give "more detail" about his decision.

No further details have been shared about when this is to be expected and whether journalists will be given the opportunity to question the president.

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