[ad_1]
Wednesday 04 November 2020
Donald Trump suspects fraud – and expresses it: the US president accuses the Democrats of wanting to “steal the elections”. For this baseless attack, Trump has now received a harsh reprimand from the OSCE Election Observation Mission. They warn of “politically motivated violence after the elections”.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) election observers mission criticized the allegations of election fraud made by US President Donald Trump. “Unfounded accusations of systematic deficits, especially by the incumbent president,” undermined “public confidence in democratic institutions,” said the observer’s mission. Many see such statements “increase the potential for politically motivated violence after the elections”.
“No one – no politician, no elected representative – should restrict the people’s right to vote,” warned the head of the OSCE’s short-term election observation mission, German FDP politician Michael Georg Link, in the statement. “After such an extremely dynamic campaign, making sure every vote is counted is a fundamental obligation for all parts of the government.” Despite the crown pandemic, the polls were well organized according to international observers. It took place “without unrest or intimidation”.
“Aggressive campaign rhetoric”
However, the presidential elections were driven by “great legal uncertainty and a highly polarized political environment, reinforced by aggressive election rhetoric”, criticized election observers. There were “baseless allegations of systematic fraud”. It is now imperative that every correctly worded ballot be “correctly counted”, stressed Polish election observer Urszula Gacek. The elections “are not over yet” and OSCE observers will remain in the United States until the electoral process is over. Shortly after the polls closed, Trump accused his opponents of planning to “steal the election”.
In the particularly contested swing states of Pennsylvania and Michigan, Trump’s camp went to court to stop the counting of votes. For Wisconsin, Trump wants to recount the votes. An election winner has not yet been determined; in pre-election polls, Trump’s Democratic challenger Joe Biden was clearly in the lead.
In their assessment, the OSCE election observers also highlighted the fundamental weaknesses of the US electoral system. Voter registration requirements put “some groups” at a disadvantage, so they have to overcome “unreasonable hurdles” when casting their votes. It is also estimated that 5.2 million US citizens have been banned from voting for crimes, even though about half of them have already served their sentences. These restrictions contradict “the principle of universal choice”, the OSCE mission criticized. 102 election observers from 39 countries are involved in the mission.
.
[ad_2]
Source link
