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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Florida deja vu as state election hit by chaos, fraud accusations

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WASHINGTON: Florida has made a troubling return to the election spotlight 18 years after the drama that launched George W Bush’s presidency, as the state braces for race recounts amid tit-for-tat accusations of fraud.


Two major contests in the southeastern state, for governor and US Senate, hung in the balance on Friday, three days after the contentious midterm elections that saw Democrats seize control of the House of Representatives from President Donald Trump’s Republicans.


Most US political races have already been settled. But Florida’s ballot chaos — rife with intrigue and Trump’s accusation of abuse by officials in Democrat-heavy counties — raises fresh questions about why the world’s most powerful democracy is incapable of producing swift and accurate election results across all 50 states.


Florida is not alone. In neighbouring Georgia, the Democratic candidate for governor initiated legal action to ensure all votes were counted in her contest.


In Arizona, hundreds of thousands of ballots were still left to be counted in a fierce US Senate battle that has Democrat Kyrsten Sinema leading Republican Martha McSally by a single percentage point.


With Florida’s developments raising partisan tensions to fresh highs, Trump weighed in to allege a major corruption scandal was brewing.


“What’s going on in Florida is a disgrace,” Trump told reporters.


“Bad things are going on in Broward Country, really bad things,” Trump added, referring to a Democrat-heavy county where officials were slowly counting votes including absentee and provisional ballots.


Florida’s Governor Rick Scott, the Republican challenging incumbent Senate Democrat Bill Nelson, filed a lawsuit alleging fraud after his lead narrowed.


Nelson, accusing Scott of trying to suppress votes, fired back with a lawsuit of his own to block steps that would reject thousands of mail-in ballots.


Their race, and the one for governor, appear headed for mandatory recounts, which would further delay a final outcome.


“Every Floridian should be concerned there may be rampant fraud happening in Palm Beach and Broward Counties,” Scott said.


Trump concurred, telling reporters that Scott “easily won, but every hour it seems to be going down.”


Scott’s lead on Friday stood at 14,848 votes out of 8.2 million cast, a margin of just 0.18 per cent.


Nelson hit back. “Scott is abusing the full force of his public office as governor to stop a complete and accurate counting of all the votes in Florida,” he said.


The US Senate’s top Democrat fumed about Trump’s pressure on the race.


“In a democracy, no one — not even the President — can prevent the lawful counting of votes,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted.


“We will not allow him or anyone else to steal this election.”


In a victory for Scott, a Broward County judge reportedly set a 7:00 pm (0000 GMT) deadline for county officials to turn over all voter data, arguing they failed to meet legal requirements. — AFP


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