The election is over. Let’s get back to governing.

If I were an allied foreign leader, I would be discouraged at what I was witnessing in the United States today and wondering what was happening to the anchor of democracy.

And if I were an adversary, I would be welcoming this turn of events. This trend of refusing to accept free and fair elections, without any proof of fraud, must end for the sake of our democratic republic.

What we are witnessing now is the latest in a chain of unfounded questions about the legitimacy of our elections that has gone well beyond rooting out irregularities in voting. It began in 2005, when then-sen. Barbara Boxer, D- Calif., led a charge to overturn Ohio’s vote in favor of George W. Bush. This impulse resumed in 2016, led by those who refused to accept Donald Trump’s election. Now, it has reached its apex, with the president and some of his supporters questioning the 2020 election without proof, only conspiracy and hearsay.

During a call that sounded more gangster than presidential, Trump called Georgia state officials, asking them to find more votes in his favor. The president and some in his party are refusing to accept the outcome of the election, instead sowing doubt and conspiracy. This was an election that multiple independent observers, the courts and both parties have found to be free and fair. To imply otherwise is self-serving and stokes further discord in our country.

The fact that all 10 living former secretaries of defense felt the need to sign on to an op-ed asking the military to refrain from interfering in the transition is incredible. This behavior from the administration is seen in Third World dictatorships, not the leading democracy in the world.

This needs to end. Our current challenges are too great. We must have a unified effort to tackle the problems we face.

Our adversaries are watching us closely. Russia and China, among others, will seize upon our internal divisions, using them to divide our allies. They are highlighting our current dysfunction in their own propaganda campaigns to claim that our democracy is in decline and our moral authority is waning. Our adversaries are busy fostering distrust of the United States and democracy, and we are handing them the ammunition. What are we doing?

The damage that is being done right now to our democracy and our international standing will not go away when President- elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. Our allies will question our commitments to our alliances and partnerships. The United States’ pledges used to be automatic, beyond question.

That level of certainty brought peace, stability and prosperity to millions across the globe for decades.

This is a defining moment in American politics. We can and should disagree about policies and about our country’s direction. But refusing to recognize state- certified elections without evidence of fraud is an abdication of the higher responsibility to our Constitution. Elected officials who are engaging in this behavior must resist the urge of self-service, self-preservation and blind allegiance to a single person or party.

We have a way in this country to change the direction in which we are headed: elections. Instead of trying to undo one, we need to work to gain more support in the next. That is the democratic process. That is America, and it is what has made our country a beacon of freedom and hope for the oppressed around the world.

I call on my former Republican colleagues to return to the business of governing. That’s why they were elected. Our country is facing issues that demand solutions and cooperation, not more division, rhetoric and condescension. We must unite to address the immediate challenge of responding to COVID-19 and managing its long-term impact, confront our exploding debt, compete with Russia and China, strengthen our economy and build for the future. We cannot solve any of these challenges if we are bickering among ourselves, battling unfounded conspiracy theories and allowing bitter partisan rancor to dominate sensible policy progress.

The election is over. Leadership isn’t easy, but it is what the United States needs most right now.