Risk of contested vote has US allies on edge
London/Berlin, November 3
As Americans head to the polls, Prime Ministers and Presidents world wide face a fragile query — when to congratulate the eventual winner, particularly given the chance the election end result might be contested.
On the one hand, there’s an opportunity the favored vote will go a method and the Electoral College — which truly determines the winner — the opposite. Also, President Donald Trump has repeatedly alleged mail-in ballots are topic to fraud, prompt he could not settle for the end result and stated the Supreme Court could need to determine the winner.
Prayers for Harris in ancestral village
Chennai: Supporters of Kamala Harris held prayers close to her ancestral village in India forward of US election. Hours forward of the election, folks residing in and round Thulasendrapuram, the village of Harris’ grandfather, gathered at a temple for particular prayers. Reuters
“You want to be prompt and clear in sending congratulations, particularly to such an important ally,” stated a international coverage adviser to a northern European chief.
“But it’s risky this time. You don’t want to get it wrong, or move too soon. We may be sitting on our hands for a while after election day.”
2.5 mn Indian-American voters
There is an estimated 4 million Indian-American inhabitants of which about 2.5 million are potential voters. Over 1.Three million Indian-Americans are voters in key battleground states, together with Texas, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania.
Foreign coverage advisers recall the US election in 2000, when a number of leaders, together with the Presidents of Germany and France, the Prime Minister of New Zealand and ruling events in South Africa, South Korea and Japan, despatched congratulations to George W Bush after US TV networks had declared him winner. It could be one other 5 weeks earlier than the Supreme Court dominated in his favour, lastly handing him victory over Al Gore. In the meantime, some leaders withdrew their congratulations.
Others simply stored quiet.
What opinion polls say
- The newest opinion polls present the race is shut sufficient within the battleground states to swing the end result to both occasion, at the same time as Biden leads Trump in nationwide polls
- Some states don’t start to depend early votes till after polling stations shut. Others permit ballots to be included so long as they’re postmarked by November 3
The 2016 contest between Trump and Hillary Clinton produced a equally tight end, with Clinton profitable the favored vote however Trump securing the backing of the Electoral College.
This yr, Jean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission, stated it was important to not ship congratulations too quickly.
“Caution is the mother of the transatlantic porcelain box,” he stated in an interview with Germany’s ARD-TV, utilizing a German determine of speech to convey how fastidiously the European Union’s relationship with the United States wants dealing with. — Reuters
‘Won’t allow you to down’
In 2008 and 2012, you positioned your belief in me to assist lead this nation alongside Barack Obama. Today, I’m asking on your belief as soon as once more — this time, in Kamala and me. We gained’t allow you to down. — Joe Biden
Nobody’s ever had such massive crowd earlier than. And so, I believe that interprets into quite a lot of votes and we’re going to see it very quickly. We’re getting good response. — Donald Trump
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