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US presidential election 2020
OpinionComment
Andrew Sheng
Andrew Sheng

Opinion | Fractious US election heralds more chaos in a deeply polarised world

  • The close-call election signals a slim mandate for the new president, leaving a weaker America to face mounting global challenges
  • The struggle between polarised and fractured factions within nations and between nations is only just beginning

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Activists dressed as United States Postal Service mailboxes, the White House and Philadelphia City Hall gather on a street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 5. Photo: Reuters
Andrew Sheng

American voters have made their choice. But the margins are so narrow that we will only know who has won the US presidency after all the mail-in ballots have been counted. Donald Trump has already tweeted “stop the count” and legal challenges have been mounted.

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In this highly controversial election, the first day of counting showed that the polls predicting a landslide win for Joe Biden were wrong. Most Republicans voted in person, whereas Democrats depended on the mail-in votes that would be counted late.

Stalwart Republican Senator Lindsay Graham and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell comfortably held their seats and continue to control the Senate. The Republican right is far more entrenched than expected.

The record voter turnout only revealed that the United States remains deeply polarised by race, religion and ideology. Billions around the world were riveted to their screens, drawing important lessons on how electoral democracy works in theory and practice.

08:46

2020 US presidential election: protests grow as ballot count drags on in battleground states

2020 US presidential election: protests grow as ballot count drags on in battleground states

If Biden loses by legal challenge or recounts, it would be the second time in a row that Democrats had won the popular vote but lost the electoral college. The convoluted laws governing counting are different for each state, leaving narrow margins subject to legal challenge.

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