Photo: AFP

White House rivals Kamala Harris and Donald Trump secured early victories on Tuesday as the first key polls closed in one of the tightest and most volatile presidential elections in US history. Republican Trump claimed several strongholds, including Florida, while Democrat Harris captured a number of eastern states. However, early results did not reveal any major surprises, which are being closely monitored across the United States and around the globe.

Vote counting also commenced in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina—three of the crucial battlegrounds expected to sway the neck-and-neck overall race. Millions of Americans stood in line to vote in an election with momentous implications, which will either see Vice President Harris become the first woman to hold the world's most powerful job or grant a historic comeback to former President Trump and his right-wing 'America First' agenda.

A final result may be announced within hours—or could take several days. In a stark reminder of the tension—and fears of outright violence—surrounding the election, officials reported 32 bomb threats called into polling locations around Georgia. Voting was temporarily halted at five locations in the predominantly Black, Democratic stronghold of Fulton County while police investigated for explosives. The FBI indicated that the threats appeared to originate from Russia, which Washington accuses of attempting to interfere in the election.

In a possible preview of other election challenges, Trump took to social media to allege "massive cheating" in Philadelphia, the Democratic stronghold of crucial state Pennsylvania. City officials dismissed the accusation. As the first results came in, Trump declared, "We're going to have a big victory tonight." The billionaire has yet to concede his 2020 election loss, after which his supporters stormed the US Capitol. There were concerns of fresh violence if Trump loses, leading to numerous buildings in central Washington being boarded up on Tuesday.

All eyes were on the seven key battleground states that Harris and Trump crisscrossed in recent days. Early results in other states awarded Harris 27 electoral votes and Trump 105—with 270 being the magic number to win the presidency. Polls for weeks have shown a knife-edge race between Harris and Trump, who at 78 would be the oldest ever president at the time of inauguration, the first felon president, and only the second in history to serve non-consecutive terms. Harris, 60, would also be only the second Black and first person of South Asian descent to be president.

Harris made a dramatic entrance into the race when Biden withdrew in July, while Trump—twice impeached while president—has since endured two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction. Harris spent the day in Washington calling radio stations and personally taking a few calls at a phone bank for voters. "We've got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active," Harris told Atlanta station WVEE-FM.

Trump voted in Florida near his Mar-a-Lago residence, expressing he felt "very confident" and that he wanted to be "very inclusive." Tech tycoon Elon Musk, who has supported Trump, said he planned to spend election night with the former president. Casting a ballot in Arizona, Trump supporter Camille Kroskey, 62, said she voted in person due to concerns about voting fraud. "I want to make sure I drop my ballot where it's going to actually land somewhere," she told AFP.

Harris will hold her watch party later at Howard University in Washington, a historically Black college that she attended as a student. "I'm a black woman. I'm an American. I'm super excited about the possibility of her becoming president," a tearful Camille Franklin, who also went to the college, told AFP. Trump has pledged an unprecedented deportation campaign of millions of undocumented immigrants, in a campaign filled with dark rhetoric. Harris has consistently opposed Trump-backed abortion bans in multiple states—a vote-winning position with crucial women voters.

The election is being closely watched around the world, including in war zones like Ukraine and the Middle East, eager to see how the next Oval Office occupant will handle the conflicts.

Source link:   https://www.khaleejtimes.com