We Hope the US Presidential Election Will Be Safely Decided

Who will take the helm of the superpower? The American presidential election, which has drawn world’s attention, is over. There was a massive increase in mail-in voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it appears that it will be some time before the result is certain.* As the political void continues, it appears to be spurring social turmoil in the United States. I hope this does not lead to any unpredictable circumstances.

According to a preliminary preelection poll, former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, preserved his lead on a national level. Incumbent Republican President Donald Trump caught up in the end and won in the battleground states of Florida and Ohio, but the future remains unsettled.

While America’s economic forecast remains unknown due to the coronavirus disaster, it is feared that financial and stock markets will be further destabilized as long as a winner is not declared. Be warned about the impacts of this on the Japanese markets.

Without waiting for a final confirmation of the results, Trump spoke at the White House before his supporters, stressing that “we already have won.” He has also hinted that he is thinking of suing to stop the vote count. It would be unforgivable to ignore mail-in ballots, which are heavily Democratic, to preserve Trump’s advantage in the middle of vote counting.

Meanwhile, Biden told a gathering of his supporters, “we’re going to have to be patient until … the hard work of tallying votes is finished. Regardless of who wins, if the results do not appear to be a landslide, both candidates could continue their claims of victory and the mudslinging. The 2000 U.S. presidential election took over a month to decide.

One can see the depth of the divide among Americans. There was a debate during the campaign over how to stop COVID-19 restore the economy. But, aside from a few battleground states, the split between the key Republican states and those where Democrats dominate was almost the same.

When it comes to voting, it appears that, unlike previous elections where support has depended on fluctuating reasons like the condition of the economy, more voters choose their candidate by predetermined reasons like race. If you consider this from another perspective, the division might drag on and deepen further.

One cannot dismiss the possibility that in regions like East Asia or the Middle East, countries may take disturbing action or international terror groups could take advantage of the chaos in the United States. Will the American presidential election pull the trigger on global chaos? We hope some kind of decision will be made swiftly and safely.

*Editor’s note: Joseph Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Nov. 7.