“The numbers are clear: we will win. Be calm and have patience. We are the most voted ticket in history and I will be the president of all Americans. Our first commitment will be the fight against Covid ": these are the words of the president in pectore of the United States, Joe Biden, in his first address to the nation as the last counting of the votes continues. With victories in of Wisconsin and in Michigan, Joe Biden reaches 264 electors and is one step away from the White House. The majority to win the presidential elections, in fact, is at 270. A rather distant goal for Donald Trump, which is currently at 214. The incumbent president, however, had already claimed victory in the early stages of the count and now speaks of fraud, announcing appeals and legal battles. In particular, Trump immediately began to agitate the bogeyman of the Supreme Court, where – thanks to the recent and controversial nomination of super-conservative Amy Coney Barrett – Republicans enjoy an overwhelming majority over Democrats (six judges to three).
So far, Trump's team has filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia to stop the counting of ballots arrived after theelection day of yesterday and started a stock in Wisconsin to request a recount. Lawsuits are likely also in Arizona and Nevada.
Regardless of the controversy, Biden's victory is close but not yet certain. The counting of votes in four key states will be decisive: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada. In the first two, in particular, there are still tens of thousands of ballots to be counted.
Meanwhile Michael Georg Link, chief observer of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said Trump's are “baseless accusations against alleged flaws in the system”, criticisms “damaging to trust in democratic institutions”.
But the findings of the OSCE do not serve to appease the protests flared up during the night, especially in Oregon, Arizona and New York.
A Portland, the police arrested a dozen people and seized firecrackers, hammers and a machine gun. The governor of Oregon has asked for the intervention of the National Guard to respond to the "spread of violence" following the presidential vote.
Trump fans besieged a polling center in Maricopa County, In Arizona. This is a key district where a final vote race is underway between the two candidates. According to sources cited by Guardian, some protesters were armed.
A New York, the Police Department announced the arrest of about 50 people for episodes related to post-election protests. Other demonstrations took place in Atlanta, Detroit and Oakland.
