How Africa News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that everyone understands that the US election system has drawbacks but thatit is none of Russia’s business.
“It is quite evident – it is clear for everyone in the world – it seems to me that it is clear for Americans, there are problems in the US election system,” Putin told Rossiya 1 television channel on Sunday.
“A candidate, who wins in this or that state, he gains all votes of the electors. For example, there are 20. Gained 11, but took all 20. But it may be that there are fewer voters behind these electors,” Putin added.
“Is it democratic? In my opinion, the question is obvious. But I say it here not to stigmatize the American political system or election system. It was done long ago.
“As one of my American past colleagues told me: ‘We got used to it.’ The practice has been shaped. It is necessary or not necessary to change anything there – it is not our business,” Putin said, stressing that this is the US internal affair.
In other news, Reuters reports that US President Donald Trump is seeking to invalidate or change the election results through recounts and direct pressure on lawmakers in several states. Trump, Reuters reports, would need to prevail in at least three states to prevent President -Elect Joe Biden from being sworn in as president on January 20 2021, an unprecedented action.
In Michigan, Republicans wrote to state authorities on Saturday asking them to wait 14 days to certify Biden’s victory to allow for an audit of ballots in Wayne County, which includes the majority-Black city of Detroit. The letter cited allegations of “irregularities” that have not been substantiated. Biden won 154,000 more votes than Trump in Michigan.
A spokesperson for Michigan’s top election authority said state law does not allow for audits before the vote is certified, which is due to take place on Monday. Allegations of widespread fraud have been found to be baseless, the spokesperson said.
A manual recount and audit in Georgia confirmed Biden on Friday as the winner in the southern state, the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in nearly three decades.
The Trump campaign has two business days to request a recount in Georgia. Trump’s legal team has also said it plans a lawsuit in the state, but has not provided specifics.
Trump’s accusations have continued to inflame his hard-core Republican base.
Hundreds of supporters gathered at the statehouse in Atlanta on Saturday, with video posted online showing speakers denouncing the media for calling Biden the election winner, as well as state Republican leaders for certifying the results.
Police in riot gear were deployed to separate them from counter protesters who gathered nearby.
Critics say Trump’s refusal to concede have serious implications for national security and the fight against the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 255,000 Americans.
Biden, who has denounced Trump’s attempt to reverse the election results as “totally irresponsible”, spent Saturday meeting with transition advisers and attending church.
Trump took part in a virtual summit of the 20 biggest world economies and then went to play golf at his club in Sterling, Virginia.
