US election farce continues
▶ ‘ Threatens credibility of nation’s system, democracy’
The US is at risk of a systemic crisis, observers said, as US President Donald Trump is still trying to overturn his election defeat by threatening Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes, days before Congress meets on Wednesday to formally count the votes from the Electoral College.
Chinese analysts said that although Trump’s and Republican politicians’ challenges may not affect the final result, they undermine the authority of the US electoral system and Western democracy.
According to details of an audio recording revealed by the Washington Post, Trump flattered, begged and threatened Raffensperger, a Republican, to find 11,780 votes [ Biden clinched the victory in Georgia by 11,779 votes].
Carl Bernstein, a veteran journalist who uncovered the 1972 Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of then- president Richard Nixon, recently described Trump as a “subversive president,” who is willing to
“undermine the electoral system and illegally, improperly and immorally try to instigate a coup,” the Huffpost reported.
Concerning the involvement of the armed forces, 10 former US defense secretaries on Sunday jointly declared opposition to Trump’s efforts to subvert the election, which could drag the US into a “dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” the CNN reported.
Chinese experts said the architects of the US system may not have expected there will be a Trump presidency to do great damage to the whole system. However, the US system cannot be assumed to be restored after Trump leaves the White House, as Trump is a reflection of the US crisis, not merely a cause.
The current system as designed is unable to cope with the changing situation, the two parties and the separation of powers failed to fully reflect diverse interests, and whether the Supreme Court can make a reasonable decision has also become a question of doubt, Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, said in describing the US’ dilemma.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, said “Biden will find it very difficult to convince US allies and other countries to believe that Trump or Trump- like politicians won’t be elected again. That’s why more and more countries, even US allies like the EU members and Japan, are reluctant to tie their own interests too closely to US hegemonic interests.”
Biden will find it difficult to convince US allies and other countries to believe that Trump or Trumplike politicians won’t be elected again. That’s why the EU and Japan are reluctant to tie their interests too closely to US hegemonic interests.