US holds state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter

According to a VNA correspondent in the US, the state funeral for Mr. Carter is expected to last 6 days. Mr. Carter's coffin will lie in state at the Carter Center in Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, from 7:00 p.m. on January 4 (Eastern time) and the public will be allowed to visit at any time of the day until 6:00 a.m. on January 7.

People had been coming to the Carter Center since morning to pay their respects to the former president. The lawn around the center’s sign was covered with flowers, handwritten notes and mementos. Some left peanuts there to commemorate Carter’s years on a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia, the hometown of the longest-lived president in U.S. history. Others left pale blue construction hats to commemorate his decades of work with Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that builds homes for refugees and the homeless.

Earlier in the day, the funeral procession had set off from Plains. Thirty-nine solemn bells—symbolizing the 39th occupant of the White House—tolled the quiet of a cold January morning at Carter’s childhood home near Plains. Along the hours-long drive to Atlanta, mourners lined the streets to pay their respects to the former peanut farmer, waving American flags in a final farewell.

At noon, the funeral procession stopped in front of the Georgia State Capitol building and people observed a moment of silence before former President Carter's coffin was taken to the Carter Center - a non-profit organization founded by him and former first lady Rosalynn Carter in 1982.

According to plan, on January 7, former President Carter's coffin will be brought to Washington DC. President Joe Biden has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days at federal buildings, military bases and Navy ships.

A state funeral will be held in Washington DC on January 9, with President Biden delivering the eulogy in accordance with Carter's wishes. Carter's body is expected to lie in state at the Capitol, becoming the 13th US President to lie in state there, following Abraham Lincoln and George HW Bush.

The funeral will be attended by former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, elected officials from across the country and world leaders. Carter is expected to be buried in his hometown of Plains.

A Georgia native and Democrat, Carter was elected president of the United States in 1976, defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford. Carter served one term before losing the 1980 election to Republican Ronald Reagan, partly due to his inability to resolve the Iran hostage crisis, after a 444-day stalemate.

When he left the Oval Office at age 56, Mr. Carter spent the next four decades focusing on philanthropic activities that made him a respected figure around the world. These contributions led to him sometimes being called America’s greatest former president—a stark contrast to the relatively low approval ratings when he left the White House in January 1981. For many years, he and his wife regularly worked on construction sites, building homes for the disadvantaged.

Internationally, Mr. Carter was recognized after his presidency for his tireless efforts to promote peaceful solutions through the Carter Center. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.