Bush, 54, promised Wednesday night (US Eastern Time) to unite a deeply divided nation as he accepted the reins of the presidency an hour after Democrat Al Gore conceded.

Speaking to the public from the Texas Statehouse, the son of a former president said he would “seize this moment” in the nation’s history and rise above partisan politics to govern as the nation’s 43rd president.

“Americans share hopes and goals and values, far more important than any political disagreements,” Bush said. “Republicans want what’s best for our nation and so do Democrats. Our votes may differ, not our hopes. I know Americans want reconciliation and unity.”

Earlier Wednesday night, Vice President Al Gore, in a televised speech to the nation, conceded the presidency to Bush and promised to support him and help him unite the bitterly divided country.

“I say to President-elect Bush what remains partisan rancor may now be put aside and God bless his stewardship of this country,” Gore said in his speech.

The concession by the vice president brings an end to the five-week tumultuous battle for the White House, a political contest that ultimately ended with a legal fight. It also sets the stage for a difficult transition to the nation’s highest post for Bush, according to US media reports, because he does not have a clear mandate from the American people.

Bush acknowledged that he would face difficulties with the divisions among the nation’s leaders, but he said he was optimistic about working with Republicans and Democrats.

“Here, in a place where Democrats have the majority, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to do what is right for the people we represent,” Bush said. “We had spirited disagreements, and in the end, we found constructive consensus. It is an experience I will always carry with me, and an example, I will always follow.”

The two men agreed to meet next week to discuss ways in which they can work together to heal the divides in the nation after the prolonged election dispute.

“Neither he nor I anticipated this long and difficult road,” Gore said. “Certainly neither of us wanted it to happen. Yet it came, and now it has ended, resolved, as it must be resolved, through the honored institutions of our democracy.”

Their speeches come less than a day after the nation’s highest court assured Bush the presidency by reversing a Florida Supreme Court decision that had ordered a recount of the disputed ballots.

Gore asked the nation to respect the high court ruling, but he made it clear that he was not pleased by the court’s decision.

“Now the US Supreme Court has spoken,” Gore said. “Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it.”

Gore becomes the fourth candidate in American history — and the first since 1888 — to win the popular vote but lose the presidency.

Bush’s presidency also will mark a milestone in American history: It will be the second time that a son has followed his father’s footsteps into the White House. The previous pair was John Adams, the nation’s second president, and his son John Quincy Adams, the sixth commander in chief. George W. Bush’s father lost his re-election bid to Bill Clinton in 1992.

(Agencies 12/14/2000)