Barack Obama is re-elected as President of the United States

Barack Obama has been re-elected as US president, according to projections by CNN.

The Democrat secured a second term in the White House after wins in crucial swing states following one of the closest run election races in recent American history.

Obama thanked supporters on Twitter, saying: “We’re all in this together. That’s how we campaigned.”

President Obama also tweeted a photograph of himself hugging wife Michelle with the caption “four more years.”

His rival Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, pushed the result to the wire, taking Indiana from his rival and appearing to lead in the popular vote.

But key battleground states, including Ohio and New Hampshire, were called for President Obama taking him over the 270 Electoral College barrier needed for victory, according to media projections.

The president had spent the day playing basketball in a gym near his home on Chicago’s south side, with former aide Reggie Love, and told reporters he was “confident we’ve got the votes to win.”

The projected win, which came through at 4:19 GMT, brought scenes of joy at President Obama’s campaign headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.

Latest projections put Obama on 303 in the Electoral College, which awards each state votes according to population size.

With most of the US firmly carved up along party lines, the contest has turned on a handful of states that are neither Democratic or Republican (swing states), a key state being Ohio.

Romney took North Carolina, worth 15 votes in the Electoral College, but President Obama beat his opponent in Iowa and Oregon.

Key swing state Ohio has seen some of the most intensive campaigning and secured 18 electoral votes for the president.

Despite all the major media outlets projecting the Obama win, Romney was not immediately ready to concede defeat, according to CNN. He finally admitted defeat at 5:50 GMT.

Voter turnout was reported to be high, with long queues at some polling stations following the most expensive presidential battle in US history at a cost of £1.3 billion.

Zanib Asghar