WASHINGTON: President of the United States. Donald trump sparked a furor by suggesting that he might not accept the November 3 results If he loses.
His stance drew comparisons to lawless dictators (Belarus and North Korea were mentioned) and raised fears that he could fracture the American democratic system in a clinging to power.
Following his Democratic rival Joe Biden in polls, the American leader declined to rule out the possibility Wednesday when asked if he would support a peaceful transition.
“Well, we’ll have to see what happens,” he replied.
Trump has already paved the way should he decide to challenge the results, repeatedly claiming that Democrats will hijack tens of millions of mailed ballots to defraud the vote.
“Democrats are rigging our 2020 elections!” stated Thursday after a handful of early mailed ballots marked for Trump were discovered discarded at a Pennsylvania elections office.
In the most recent US election, the winners have been declared and the losers have relented, just hours after the polls closed in November, according to advance vote counts.
When the loser gives in, it allows the winner to immediately begin preparing to seize power in January, long before the Electoral College declares the official winner in mid-December.
This year, experts agree with Trump on a key point: Due to a massive increase in voting by mail due to the coronavirus and untested systems to handle those votes, early election results can be very incomplete and open. to questions.
The winner “will probably not be known on election night,” concluded the Transitional Integrity Project, a group of academics and former government officials studying the potential problems of 2020.
TIP, whose members include both Democrats and Republicans, says it expects a period of legal and political “chaos” exploitable by parties.
Unless Biden captures the election with a clear landslide, TIP hopes that Trump will exploit any ambiguities, laws and his presidential powers, to assert victory and refuse to leave office.
“We also assess that President Trump is likely to challenge the outcome by legal and extra-legal means, in an attempt to cling to power,” they said.
Trump has pointed out two possibilities.
First, if the projected results on election night go against him, he will refuse to budge and challenge the vote count, with the support of Republican political operatives on the ground in the states.
That could lead to difficult recounts, with each ballot reviewed and challenged for any anomalies – a smudged signature, an abbreviated address, or a ballot mailed without a special inner envelope meant to ensure secrecy, which in some cases can lead to your rejection as a “naked vote”.
The process can take weeks.
On the other hand, if Trump sees himself leading the night of November 3, he could declare victory before millions of mail-in ballots are counted.
Analysts believe that more Democrats will vote by mail than Republicans, and Trump has already suggested that he may not accept its validity.
“The ballots are out of control,” Trump said Wednesday. “Get rid of the ballots and you will have a very peaceful one; there will be no transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation,” he said.
Both Republicans and Democrats have assembled large legal teams for a post-vote siege.
In the 2000 presidential election, the fight between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush boiled down to the outcome in one state, Florida.
The Republican-controlled state government declared Bush the winner with a tiny margin of votes. Gore’s side went to court for a tally of millions of “punch card” ballots that proved prone to errors and miscounts.
The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled against a recount and handed the choice over to Bush.
This year, Trump’s Republicans are preparing to challenge adverse results in several key states including Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
“There is a possibility that the president will try to convince legislatures and / or governors to take steps, including illegal actions, to challenge the popular vote,” TIP said.
“A determined campaign has the opportunity to contest the elections until January 2021,” he said.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, whose body could impeach Trump if he refuses to go, sought to reassure voters this week.
“The winner of the November 3 elections will be inaugurated on January 20,” he said.
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