Bush and Gore fight to the finish

The result of the American presidential election is still hanging in the balance hours after the last polls officially closed.

Votes are still being counted in the key state of Florida where it seems there are only a few hundred votes separating the two would-be presidents.

Early exit polls claimed Republican George W Bush had taken the Sunshine State - but the claim was later retracted.

The Democrat White House hopeful, Al Gore, had apparently been on the verge of admitting defeat.

He had already phoned Mr Bush to offer his congratulations when he was told the Florida result was still too close to call.

Mr Gore telephoned Governor Bush a second time to withdraw his concession.

He said: "Circumstances have changed since I first called you.

"We have now learned we are down by only about 600 votes out of millions cast and that means an automatic recount."

The election campaign has been one of the closest for years.

National polls gave Governor Bush a slender lead as voters went to the polls but one survey gave Al Gore a two point advantage suggesting he could still win the race.

A high turnout of blacks and union members appears to have helped Mr Gore in the large industrial states.

Jeb Bush, Mr Bush's brother and governor of Florida, had promised to deliver the state for his brother.

The Texas governor appeared to hold a slender advantage in a string of swing states, including Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Nevada.

If he wins in Florida, he will probably have enough electoral college votes to become president.

It is possible Mr Bush could win the electoral college but lose the popular vote. This has not happened since 1888 when Benjamin Harrison became President even though Grover Cleveland had amassed more votes.

Mr Bush closed his White House campaign by vowing to be a "uniter not a divider" if elected president and Mr Gore promised to "fight for you".

If Mr Bush were to win, he would be the first son of a former president to win the White House since John Quincy Adams was elected in 1824.

For Mr Gore, the son of a senator, victory would represent fulfilment of a childhood ambition and the culmination of 24 years as a congressman, senator and vice-president.

He ended his campaign with a whistlestop tour of five states, ending in Florida. He was joined in Miami by celebrity supporters including actors Robert de Niro, Glenn Close, Ben Affleck and Stevie Wonder.

Texas Governor George Bush was eventually declared President-elect on 13 December 2000 after a protracted legal battle.