How long can Donald Trump continue to challenge the outcome of the vote and what are the possible scenarios: the 2020 US elections



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Since the announcement of Joe Biden’s victory, Donald Trump has refused to declare himself defeated and is supported by Republican lawmakers. Legal actions have been brought in at least five key states accusing them of fraud or irregularities in the electoral process.

In Georgia – where the elections were very close – a recount of the votes is announced, which is not excluded in Wisconsin. Approaches that, according to AFP, have virtually no chance of changing the outcome of the elections.

How long can this contestation of the results last? Could Joe Biden’s victory be called into question? What is the current situation, eight days after the US elections.

How long will it take to confirm the results?

For now, the count continues in several key states, including Pennsylvania, and a manual recount has been announced in Georgia.

But every state has a deadline by which results must be certified and each candidate’s count of votes must be validated: Georgia by November 20, Pennsylvania by November 23, Arizona by November 30.

“I don’t think every state should be expected to formally certify results,” said John Fortier, an electoral specialist at the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization that aims to be a bridge between Democrats and Republicans.

“I think at some point, probably in the next few days, with the advancement of the vote count and perhaps the rejection of some court appeals, we will see that the gaps are too important to hope for a reversal through legal action”, He says. “I think this is how the problem will be solved.”

The 14 December is the real deadline, the experts underline: the big voters will then meet to formally vote one or the other of the candidates, a vote dictated in principle by the majority of the popular vote of that State.

Even in the 2000 presidential election in which George W. Bush and Al Gore clashed, and where the Florida winner was challenged for 30 days, that deadline was met.

Rival lists of major voters in disputed states?

It’s an “extremely unlikely scenario,” says Barry Burden of the University of Wisconsin, “but the mere fact that someone is talking about it is worrying (…) American democracy was believed to have reached a degree of maturity where this type of behaviors do not occur “.

In this scenario, which, according to the aforementioned expert, “would contradict all the rules and procedures for the appointment of the president”, the republican majority parliament in one or more states where the victory is contested could appoint large republican voters – instead of validating a list. democratic that reflects the results of the popular vote.

The dispute will then continue in front of the Congress, which meets on January 6 to count the votes of the electors and formally nominate the winner of the elections.

But several key states are expected to send lists of rivals to question Joe Biden’s victory, which AFP experts say is unlikely.

What if Donald Trump doesn’t acknowledge defeat?

“Donald Trump is likely never to accept defeat,” says Barry Burden. “He continues to contest the 2016 election results, even if he won them (…) so it is likely that he will contest them for the rest of his life.”

Joe Biden will continue to be sworn in on January 20, 2021, but that will fuel doubt in the Republican camp and could “de-legitimize” Joe Biden’s victory, the expert said. “This may be the sole target of Donald Trump’s campaign team,” he added.

But John Fortier says he is “absolutely certain it will be a peaceful transition”, even if he is not “the friendliest” or “the smoothest”.

“It would be better for him to admit defeat, but if the transition is delayed, it won’t be the end of the world,” he said.

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