Obama to resign Senate seat

　　U.S. President-elect Barack Obama announced Thursday that he will officially resign his Senate seat as of Sunday.

　　"It has been one of the highest honors and privileges of my life to have served the people of Illinois in the United States Senate," he said in a statement released by his campaign Thursday.

　　"It is these Illinois families and their stories that will stay with me as I leave the United States Senate and begin the hard task of fulfilling the simple hopes and common dreams of all Americans as our nation's next president," Obama added.

　　Obama's Senate office will close sometime within the next two months.

　　His Senate staff will spend that time coordinating with his replacement, advising constituents with open requests, and archiving documents for Obama's presidential library.

　　Several Illinois Democrats, including Republican Jesse Jackson Jr. and Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth, a former congressional candidate who now serves in governor Rod Blagojevich's administration, have been mentioned as possible Senate replacements for Obama.

　　Blagojevich, who will appoint Obama's successor, announced last week that he was assembling a panel to vet likely candidates.

　　Obama was elected U.S. Senate in 2004 and his replacement would be up for re-election in 2010.

　　美国当选总统奥巴马１３日宣布，将于１５日辞去联邦参议员一职，以专注于明年１月２０日就任总统前的政府交接工作。

　　奥巴马当天发表声明说，能够进入国会参议院为伊利诺伊州人民服务是他“生命中的至高荣耀之一”，而在他离开参议院后，伊利诺伊州人民以及他们的故事将陪伴他开始另一项艰难的任务，即作为下届美国总统实现“所有美国人的共同希望和梦想”。

　　奥巴马在参议院的办公室将在两个月内关闭。在此期间，他在参议院的工作人员会负责协调与继任者之间的交接工作，并整理奥巴马担任参议员期间的资料，将来供给奥巴马总统图书馆。

　　奥巴马在２００４年当选伊利诺伊州联邦参议员，但在进入国会仅两年后便开始筹备竞选总统。

　　奥巴马辞职后，他的国会席位继任者将由伊利诺伊州州长布拉戈耶维奇决定。

　　当选副总统拜登上周也表示，会在１月２０日宣布就职时辞去特拉华州联邦参议员一职。