Name: European election observers decry Trump’s ‘baseless allegations’ of voter fraud
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European election observers decry Trump’s ‘baseless allegations’ of voter fraud

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This article was published more than&nbsp;2 years agoCommentGift ShareA group of international election observers on Wednesday praised the U.S. vote as orderly but condemned President Trump’s “baseless allegations” of fraudulent ballot counts and his suggestion that the tally be stopped midstream, saying he had undermined public confidence in democratic institutions.“Nobody — no politician, no elected official, nobody — should limit the people’s right to vote,” said Michael Georg Link, a member of the German parliament who led the lawmakers sent by the to observe a U.S. election for the ninth time. “Coming after such a highly dynamic campaign, making sure that every vote is counted is a fundamental obligation of all branches of government. Baseless allegations of systematic deficiencies, notably by the incumbent president, including on election night, harm public trust in democratic institutions.”At the invitation of the State Department, the OSCE sent 100 observers to more than 30 states to watch the vote. The preliminary findings they released Wednesday will be followed by a more comprehensive report early next year from the election monitoring branch of the OSCE.The observers expressed a measure of admiration for the administration of the election and a heavy dose of criticism. They portrayed Election Day and the early voting in preceding weeks as “competitive and well-managed” amid the coronavirus pandemic, despite the more than 400 lawsuits already filed and in 44 states.AdvertisementBut the preliminary report spread its criticism broadly. It expressed concern about the “acrimonious campaign rhetoric,” especially by Trump, who the observers said had often blurred the lines between campaigning and governing.The team said the media had provided accurate information. But it accused cable networks of infusing their reporting with opinion and bias and newspapers of showing their political leanings. It said online news sites “regularly presented exaggerated or ungrounded messages” that were amplified by social media.Urszula Gacek, a former Polish diplomat who led the observers from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said a team that visited post offices to watch the handling of mail-in ballots found “nothing untoward.”“We feel that allegations of systemic wrongdoing in these elections have no solid ground,” she said. “The system has held up well.”AdvertisementThe observers reserved their harshest criticism for Trump’s remarks and his conduct. In releasing the report, Gacek said she was impressed by the high voter turnout “despite deliberate attempts by the incumbent president to weaken confidence in the election process.”The report lambasted Trump’s “discriminatory and pejorative” statements against women and others and charged that he had misused his position.“The distinction between state and party activities was not always respected, as the incumbent president repeatedly used his official capacity for political advantage,” it said.The report said that “most candidates” had misrepresented facts, “especially from the incumbent president, thereby detracting from the ability of voters to accurately appraise the candidate’s views and qualifications.” And it criticized Trump if he loses and his repeated claims that the election was rigged.“Such statements by an incumbent president weaken public confidence in state institutions and were perceived by many as increasing the potential for politically motivated violence after the elections,” the report said.The latest: Graphic: Live updates: 25th Amendment: Election results under attack: CommentsGift ArticleTOP STORIESDeep DivesMake time for stories that embrace nuance and complexity. Some will break your heart, others will enlighten you.Try a different topic or to save your preferences

This article was published more than&nbsp;2 years agoCommentGift ShareA group of international election observers on Wednesday praised the U.S. vote as orderly but condemned President Trump’s “baseless allegations” of fraudulent ballot counts and his suggestion that the tally be stopped midstream, saying he had undermined public confidence in democratic institutions.“Nobody — no politician, no elected official, nobody — should limit the people’s right to vote,” said Michael Georg Link, a member of the German parliament who led the lawmakers sent by the to observe a U.S. election for the...

European election observers decry Trump’s ‘baseless allegations’ of voter fraud

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