International election observer accuses Trump of ‘gross abuse of office’

The head of an international observer mission to the US elections accuses Donald Trump on Thursday of a “gross abuse of office” after the president alleged he was being cheated and demanded that vote counting be halted.

“The most disturbing thing was that with presidential fanfare of the White House, that is, with all the insignia of power, the American commander-in-chief called for an end to the count because of his purported victory,” Michael Link told the German daily Stuttgarter Zeitung.

“That was a gross abuse of office,” he says, adding that Trump’s “claims of manipulation are baseless.”

Link, who works for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, warns that Trump’s repeated false allegations of fraud could have far-reaching consequences.

“The major concern is that the US will not be able put back into the bottle the genie that Trump has let out.

“Even if he were to admit defeat and hand over office properly, his supporters, incited by rhetoric, may see violence as a legitimate tool because they no longer feel democratically represented,” says Link.

— AFP